Beverage News
Greater Food Safety Requirements For India Food E-commerce
The newly drafted policy of FSSAI has come to light, which will hold all e-commerce entities responsible for the food quality served to people. While an e-commerce website who manufactures, sells, distributes, imports, packages or stores any kind of food item will need an FSSAI license from the Central Licensing Authority, those entities which only provides a listing facility on their website will not need the same.
However, they are bound by rules like non-display of misleading claims, false advertisements and any such claims from the sellers, vendors, manufacturers, etc.
The new policy, if implemented, will need all the leading online food delivery portals, food/restaurant search portals to obtain FSSAI licenses.
The new policy is yet another move from the Central Food Monitoring Authority, which has come up with many novice norms for enhancing food safety in India, as part of the 10 initiatives for 10 years of service.
FSSAI will finalize the draft based on the feedback and comments the new initiatives it gets from companies which operate in this domain. This will, in simple terms, mean that all e-retailers operating in the food chain with manufacturers, transporters, storage facility, processors, packaging units will collaborate in achieving far-fetched food hygiene and safety.
Mr. Ashwin Bhadri, CEO of Equinox Labs, India’s Leading Food, Water and Air Testing Laboratory, considers this step, as a much-needed improvement for people’s health.
“The new notification on e-commerce marketplaces is an excellent move by FSSAI. It gives a lot of clarity to e-commerce companies on what they need to do.
FSSAI is a law that is in depth, hence interpretation of that sometimes can be a challenge for many companies. But, once these companies comply to this law, it will ensure that the end customer gets safe products and are assured of food safety even when they buy online. The experience of buying offline and online will no longer be different from Food Safety and Compliance perspective.”
Customer grievance redressal policies, recall procedures are all in the working for smooth functioning of the planned norm.
Source: Equinox Labs
