Lok Sabha Question No. 4092 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-03-20
Subject: Plastic in Food Items
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: SUBHASH CHANDRA BAHERIA

## Government of India

## Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Department of Consumer Affairs

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4092

TO BE ANSWERED ON 20.03.2018

## PLASTIC IN FOOD ITEMS

## 4092.  SHRI SUBHASH CHANDRA BAHERIA: (OIH)

## Will  the  Minister  of  CONSUMER  AFFAIRS,  FOOD  AND  PUBLIC  DISTRIBUTION miHkksDrk ekeys] [kk| vkSj lkoZtfud forj.k ea=h be pleased to state:

- (a) whether any complaints have been received by the Ministry from various areas of the country regarding the rice, snacks, waters and other food items made out of plastic;
- (b) if so, the details of the action taken in this regard;
- (c) the stringent steps being taken by the Government to check supply of such harmful adulterated food items; and
- (d) the number of such cases that came to light during the last three years and the details of action taken in this regard?

## ANSWER

## miHkksDrk ekeys] [kk| vkSj lkoZtfud forj.k jkT; ea=h ¼Jh lh- vkj- pkS/kjh½

## THE MINISTER OF STATE CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION (SHRI C. R. CHAUDHARY)

- (a)  : Yes, Madam.  National Consumer Helpline(NCH) under the Department of Consumer Affairs has received complaints related to plastic rice, eggs and plastic flour.
- (b) :    NCH have advised the complainants to address their complaints to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India(FSSAI).  NCH has been forwarding the complaints alongwith their advice to FSSAI directly through INGRAM portal since November, 2016.

In addition, FSSAI had lifted samples of food and inspected the premises of FBOs of several states/UTs like  Arunachal  Pradesh,  Bihar,  Chandigarh,  Delhi,  Gujarat,  Goa  etc.  However,  no  such  incidence  of food products made out of plastic has been detected.

- (c)  :   The enforcement of FSS Act, 2006, Rules and Regulations made thereunder primarily rests with the  State/UT  Governments.    Regular  random  sampling  and  testing  of  food  products  is  done  by  the officials of Food Safety Departments of the respective States/UTs to check adulteration in food and in case  where  the  food  samples  are  found  to  be  non-conforming,  recourse  is  taken  to  penal  provisions under Chapter IX of the FSS Act, 2006.

## ORIGINAL IN HINDI

(d)  :    The  details  of  complaints  received  in  NCH    during  last  financial  year  2016-17  and  current financial  year till  February,  2018 is  given below.   In the  year 2015-16, no complaint was reported at NCH regarding items made out of plastic.

| Financial Year    |   Plastic Eggs |   Plastic rice |   Plastic rice eggs both |   and Plastic (Atta) |   Number of Complaints |
|-------------------|----------------|----------------|--------------------------|----------------------|------------------------|
| Apr 2016-Mar 2017 |              2 |              3 |                        0 |                    0 |                      5 |
| Apr 2017-Feb 2018 |             19 |             21 |                        2 |                   18 |                     60 |
| Total complaints  |             21 |             24 |                        2 |                   18 |                     65 |

NCH  have  advised  the  complainants  to  address  their  complaints  to  the  Food  Safety  and  Standard Authority of India (FSSAI).  NCH has also been forwarding the complaints along with their advice to FSSAI directly through INGRAM portal since November, 2016.

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