The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued a directive for a comprehensive inspection plan based on the risk associated with food enterprises, superseding all earlier instructions. The proposal also includes options for e-inspection of the premises via recorded video and live broadcasting.
According to the FSSAI, it will allow authorities to conduct mandatory inspections of food business operators’ premises to ensure the safety of high-risk food categories in a more ‘systematic and intensive manner,’ aimed at bringing about systematic improvements rather than raids/searches, and should be done with prior notice to FBOs except in the case of serious food safety issues.
Furthermore, the inspection plan must be entered into the Food Safety Compliance System (FoSCoS) for systematic inspection assignment to authorised officers/food safety officers, and inspections must be conducted only using the food safety inspection and sampling system – FoSCoRIS app.
Dairy goods and analogues, meat and meat products, including chicken, fish and fish products, eggs and egg products, foodstuffs designed for nutritional purposes, prepared meals, Indian sweets, nutrients and their preparation (enriched rice kernels only) are among the high-risk categories.
Pre-licence inspection for businesses such as milk, meat, fish, fortified rice, and slaughterhouses, pre-registration inspection for fortified rice kernels, routine inspection based on risk profile in each state, follow-up inspections to check compliance, inspection before renewal or modification of licence, inspection for investigation of a complaint, inspection in case of a food safety emergency, and third-party non-conformity report
In addition, the food authority may conduct inspections of expired licences and other inspections.
According to the FSSAI statement, “there is an option of exemption from inspection based on the score of a third-party audit or hygiene rating scheme as appropriate.”
The Food Safety Commissioners can now raise the number of inspections required for a given fiscal year under the new strategy. However, in the event of a health risk or food safety emergency, this plan does not restrict the registration or licencing body from inspecting any other food enterprises.
According to the directive, all Central licenced manufacturers and processors in high-risk categories as defined by the FSSAI should have their operations evaluated by FSSAI-approved food safety auditing organisations at least once a year.