Food recall INDIA

Monday, August 3, 2009

Food recall INDIA

FBD: India to announce food recall regulations

By Sabyasachi Samajdar, FoodBizDaily.com Bureau Chief – New Delhi

August 3, 2009 – In order to guide Food Business Operators (FOBs) on how to carry out a food recall the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India will soon announce regulation for recall procedures by issuing a government notification. This regulation may be called Food Authority’s Food Recall Procedures Regulations, 2009, a top government official told FoodBizDaily.com here today.

According to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, this regulation will guide FBOs on how to establish a written recall plan for carrying out food recall in order to ensure the hygiene, safety and quality of food and to protect the health of consumers and to establish a follow-up action or post recall report in order to ensure the effectiveness of the recall and prevent a repetition.

Sources said that the ‘Recall’ may be carried out voluntarily by manufacturers and distributors to remove unsafe food from the market to prevent injury to consumers. Seizure or other court action may be taken when a firm refuses to undertake a recall directed by the Local Competent Authority or where the LCA/Food Authority has sufficient reasons to believe that a recall would not be effective, determines that a recall is ineffective, or discovers that a violation is continuing.

Recalls are to be carried out in the shortest time practicable to minimize risk involved. common interest of the consumer and industry, recall guidelines provide for stopping distribution and sale of the affected food product; informing the LCA (all recalls) and the public (under specific circumstances) of the problem; effectively and efficiently remove the potentially unsafe food product from the marketplace.

It is learnt that all food businesses engaged in the wholesale supply, manufacture or importation of foods regulated by Food Authority must have an up-to-date recall plan except food retailers, unless they are also engaged in the wholesale supply, manufacture or importation of food.

Food businesses within the food service sector such as restaurants and takeaways are exempted to have recall plan unless they are running multi-outlet food business chains having integrated manufacturing and distribution network.

However, such food businesses in the food service sector may be part of another business’ recall i.e. they may need to remove recalled stock from the shelves and return it to the manufacturer, importer or wholesaler.