Lok Sabha Question No. 3193 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-01-05
Subject: Samples from Imported Food
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: BHARTRUHARI MAHTAB, RAHUL RAMESH SHEWALE, SANJAY SHAMRAO DHOTRE

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3193 TO BE ANSWERED ON 5 TH JANUARY, 2018

## SAMPLES FROM IMPORTED FOOD

## 3193. SHRI BHARTRUHARI MAHTAB: SHRI RAHUL SHEWALE: SHRI SANJAY DHOTRE:

Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government draw samples from each imported food consignment for testing in their laboratories;

(b) if so, the number of such samples tested during each of the last three years and the current year, State/UT -wise and if not, the reasons therefor;

(c) whether the violation of the standard food safety norms in such testing have come to the notice of the Government during the said period;

(d) if so, the details thereof along with the action taken/being taken by the Government against such violations;

(e) whether the Government has received representations from industry associations to do away with  the  said practice  and  switch  over  to  the  interna tional norm  of  random  and  risk -based inspections; and

(f) if so, the details thereof along with the action taken/being taken by the Government on such representations so far?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

(SHR I ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

(a) & (b): Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is present at six locat (ports) viz., Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Cochin and Tuticorin covering 21 points of entry. Food Import  Clearance  System  (FICS)  of  FSSAI  is  an  online  system  operational  at  abov mentioned six ports only. Risk based inspection is in operation since May, 2016, so only Bills of Entry are subjected to scrutiny o f documents, visual inspection, sampling and testing. Only  the  food  items  which  clear  the  visual  inspection  stage  are  subjected  to  samplin laboratory  testing.  The  number  of  approved/rejected  imported  food  consignments  by  FSSAI's Authorised Officers as per available information in FICS for last three years and current ye aforesaid six locations is at Annexure .  However, there are another 136 locations throughout the country where Customs officers have been notified as Authorised Officers by FSSAI.

(c) & (d): With regards to action taken in respect of non -conforming imported food items, FSSAI  has  informed  that  as  per  sub - regulation  16(1)  of  Food  Safety  and  Standards  (Import) Regulations, 2017:

'On receipt of the non - conformance report, the custodi an or importer shall dispose of the imported food consignment in accordance with the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962 (52 1962), provided that no food consignment shall be disposed off until the period of limi over for filling of review appl ication against the order of the Authorised Officer'.

(e) & (f): FSSAI invites comments from all stakeholders, including World Trade Organisation (WTO) members, and takes the same into consideration before finalising any new regulations or amendments in existing regulations. Accordingly, FSSAI has notified Food S and Standards (Import)  Regulations, 2017 on 09.03.2017. Further,  chapter 7 of FSS (Imp Regulations, 2017 provides that :

'The Food Authority may review the risks associated with articles of food imports fro time to time and adopt a risk - based framework and risk based inspection process for clearance of imported articles of food'.

Chapter  7  also  provides  that  for  implementing  risk - based  frameworkand  risk  based inspection process, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India shall profile the I Custom  House  Agents,  imported  product,  manufacturer  of  the  imported  product,  country origin,  source  country  of  the  consignment,  port  of  entr y,  compliance  history  and  any  other parameters deemed fit for profiling the risk associated with the commodity. Customs throu Single  Window  has  already  started  implementation  of  Risk  Management  System  (RMS)  in consultation with FSSAI.

## Annexure

Details of all imported food consignments for past three years and current year (1 st April, 2014  to  28 th December,  2017)  at six  locations  (ports)  viz.,  Delhi,  Mumbai,  Kolkata, Chennai, Cochin and Tuticorin

| Year                           |   Total Number of food consignments |   Approved |   Rejected |
|--------------------------------|-------------------------------------|------------|------------|
| 2015(1 Apr 2014 -31 Mar 2015)  |                               64804 |      63548 |       1256 |
| 2016 (1sApr2015 - 31 Mar-2016) |                               73536 |      72401 |       1135 |
| 2017 (1 Apr2016 - 31 Mar 2017) |                               60360 |      59687 |        673 |
| 2018(1 Apr2017 - 28 Dec 2017)  |                               10732 |      10601 |        131 |
| Total                          |                              209432 |     206237 |       3195 |