Background:
Section 26 and Section 27 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 define the responsibilities and liabilities of Food Business Operators (FBOs) regarding food safety.
FSS (Licensing and Registration of Food Business) Regulations, 2011 mandate segregation for the storage of various food materials and require adherence to stock rotation systems like FIFO (First In, First Out) and FEFO (First Expired, First Out).
Provision:
In order to prevent the rebranding and sale of rejected or expired food as cattle feed, FSSAI introduces a new provision requiring quarterly submission of data through FoSCoS by FSSAI licensed food manufacturers (including repackers and relabellers) and importers on the following:
Quantity of Rejected Food Items: Food products that have failed to meet quality standards and have been rejected.
Quantity of Expired Products: Food products that have expired or been returned due to expiry or other quality issues.
Action Taken with Rejected/Expired Items: Detailed record of how rejected or expired products were handled (destroyed, auctioned, redirected for alternative uses), including buyer details for auctioned items or waste disposal agencies involved.
Further Details:
FBOs are advised to start consolidating the required data in preparation for the provision activation, ensuring timely and accurate submission when required.
The provision will allow the authority to track rejected and expired goods, and their disposal or auctioning, in real-time.