Lok Sabha Question No. 2935 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-17
Subject: Regulation on Food Business Operators
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Sunita Duggal

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2935 TO BE ANSWERED ON 17 th  MARCH, 2023

## REGULATION ON FOOD BUSINESS OPERATORS

## 2935. SHRIMATI SUNITA DUGGAL:

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

- (a) whether the FSSAI has issued any directions to Food Business Operators (FBOs) for displaying health advisory clearly on packed food items and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether  FSSAI  has  taken  any  steps/measures/  sanctions  for  compliance  of  the same in regards to FBOs and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether FSSAI has decided to de-notify the in-house food testing laboratories of FBOs and if so, the reasons therefor;
- (d) whether  de-recognition  and  de-notification  of  in-house  testing  laboratories  of FBOs  were  based  on  some  survey/inspection  report  and  if  so,  the  details thereof; and
- (e) whether there are sufficient NABL accredited Food Testing Labs in the country and if so, the details thereof, State/UT-wise?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (DR. BHARATI PRAVIN PAWAR)

- (a)  &  (b)  Food  Safety  and  Standards  Authority  of  India  (FSSAI)  has  notified  draft  Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Amendment Regulations, 2022 in September, 2022. These amendment regulations propose front-of- pack labelling of packaged foods  with an Indian Nutrition Rating (INR) .
- (c) & (d) FSSAI vide order dated 14.02.2023 has decided that in-house testing laboratories of any FBO shall not be notified by FSSAI because of reasons like conflict of interest, location of  such  labs  within  manufacturing  area  of  FBO,  presence  of  Directors  of  FBO  in  the

constitution of Board of Management and difficulty in regular monitoring and verification of minor details of the in-house laboratory.

The decision of de-recognition or de-notification of in-house testing laboratories of FBOs  are  based  on  consensus  of  the  Central  Advisory  Committee  (CAC),  which  is established by Food Authority as per section 11 of Food Safety and Standards Act 2006.

(e):  There  are  253  National  Accreditation  Board  for  Testing  and  Calibration  Laboratories (NABL) accredited labs which are notified by FSSAI under FSS Act. State/UT wise status of such labs is at Annexure.

..…………………

ANNEXURE State-wise number of Food Testing Laboratories notified under FSS Act

| S. No   | State/UT                           | Food Testing labs notified under Section 43(1) of FSS Act, 2006   | Food Testing labs notified under Section 43(1) of FSS Act, 2006   | Food Testing labs notified under Section 43(1) of FSS Act, 2006   | Referral Laboratories notified under Section 43(2) of FSS   |
|---------|------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------|
|         |                                    | Government                                                        | Government                                                        | Private                                                           |                                                             |
|         |                                    | State Lab                                                         | Lab under other Institutions                                      | Lab                                                               | Act, 2006                                                   |
| 1       | Andaman &Nicobar Islands           | -                                                                 | -                                                                 | -                                                                 | -                                                           |
| 2       | Andhra Pradesh                     | -                                                                 | 1                                                                 | 5                                                                 | 1                                                           |
| 3       | Arunachal Pradesh                  | -                                                                 | -                                                                 | -                                                                 | -                                                           |
| 4       | Assam                              | 1                                                                 | -                                                                 | -                                                                 | -                                                           |
| 5       | Bihar                              | 1                                                                 | 1                                                                 | -                                                                 | -                                                           |
| 6       | Chandigarh                         | -                                                                 | -                                                                 | -                                                                 | -                                                           |
| 7       | Chhattisgarh                       | 1                                                                 | -                                                                 | -                                                                 | -                                                           |
| 8       | Dadar& Nagar Haveli and Daman &Diu | -                                                                 | -                                                                 | 1                                                                 | -                                                           |
| 9       | GNCT of Delhi                      | 1                                                                 | 1                                                                 | 17                                                                | -                                                           |
| 10      | Goa                                | 1                                                                 | -                                                                 | 1                                                                 | -                                                           |
| 11      | Gujarat                            | 6                                                                 | 2                                                                 | 9                                                                 | 1                                                           |
| 12      | Haryana                            | 2                                                                 | 1                                                                 | 17                                                                | 2                                                           |
| 13      | Himachal Pradesh                   | 1                                                                 | -                                                                 | 1                                                                 | -                                                           |
| 14      | Jammu &Kashmir                     | 2                                                                 | -                                                                 | -                                                                 | -                                                           |
| 15      | Jharkhand                          | 1                                                                 | -                                                                 | 1                                                                 | -                                                           |
| 16      | Karnataka                          | 2                                                                 | -                                                                 | 16                                                                | 2                                                           |
| 17      | Kerala                             | 3                                                                 | 6                                                                 | 6                                                                 | 2                                                           |
| 18      | Ladakh                             | -                                                                 | -                                                                 | -                                                                 | -                                                           |
| 19      | Lakshadweep                        | -                                                                 | -                                                                 | -                                                                 | -                                                           |
| 20      | Madhya Pradesh                     | 1                                                                 | -                                                                 | 6                                                                 | -                                                           |
| 21      | Maharashtra                        | 4                                                                 | 2                                                                 | 25                                                                | 4                                                           |
| 22      | Manipur                            | 1                                                                 | -                                                                 | -                                                                 | -                                                           |
| 23      | Meghalaya                          | 1                                                                 | -                                                                 | -                                                                 | -                                                           |
| 24      | Mizoram                            | -                                                                 | -                                                                 | -                                                                 | -                                                           |
| 25      | Nagaland                           | 1                                                                 | -                                                                 | -                                                                 | -                                                           |
| 26      | Odisha                             | 1                                                                 | -                                                                 | 1                                                                 | --                                                          |
| 27      | Puducherry                         | -                                                                 | -                                                                 | -                                                                 | -                                                           |
| 28      | Punjab                             | 1                                                                 | 1                                                                 | 2                                                                 | 1                                                           |
| 29      | Rajasthan                          | 9                                                                 | 1                                                                 | 5                                                                 | -                                                           |
| 30      | Sikkim                             | -                                                                 | -                                                                 | -                                                                 | -                                                           |
| 31      | Tamil Nadu                         | 6                                                                 | 2                                                                 | 15                                                                | 3                                                           |
| 32      | Telangana                          | 1                                                                 | -                                                                 | 8                                                                 | 3                                                           |
| 33      | Tripura                            | 1                                                                 | 1                                                                 | -                                                                 | -                                                           |
| 34      | Uttar Pradesh                      | 5                                                                 | 4                                                                 | 5                                                                 | 2                                                           |
| 35      | Uttarakhand                        | 1                                                                 | -                                                                 | 1                                                                 | -                                                           |
| 36      | West Bengal                        | 2                                                                 | 5                                                                 | 4                                                                 | 1                                                           |
|         | Total                              | 57                                                                | 28                                                                | 146                                                               | 22                                                          |