From 23 Jul 2013, the Food Safety and Standard of Authority of India (FSSAI) started to seek public comments on the draft of “Food Safety and Standards (Food Import) Regulations, 2012” to ensure the safety of imported food. The regulation will come into force from the date once published in the Official Gazette.
The new Regulation consists of 14 chapters, attached with 10 forms and 4 schedules. In specific, it raises requirements for both food importers and food products and outlines the procedures of import, including pre-arrival notification, clearance application, inspection, sampling, lab testing, etc.
Under the FSS (Food Import) Regulation, 2012, the food importers should obtain a license from the Central Licensing Authority and be registered with Directorate General of Foreign Trade.
In order to accelerate the clearance of imported foods at ports, a “pre-Arrival notification” also needs to be submitted by the food importers. Upon arrival of goods, food importers are required to apply for “No Objection Certificate” to the Authorized Officer and pay fee for lab analysis of samples.
Imported food products should be packaged and labeled in compliance with relevant regulations and be packed in containers convenient for inspection and sampling.
Importation control is just one aspect of the comprehensive food safety regulation. The FSS (Food Import) Regulation, 2012 is one of supporting regulations under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, which aims to establish a single reference point for all matters relating to food safety and standards, by moving from multi-level, multi-department control to a single line of command.
To well enforce the FSS Act 2006, the FSSAI is set up to lay down science-based standards for food products and additives in order to regulate their manufacture, import, storage, distribution, sale. Other related FSS regulations are listed below:
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