Autocratic FSSAI acting at behest of corporates, claim trade bodies
2 Oct 2015 6:24 AM IST
Dubbing the FSSAI a ‘den of corruption’, 11 industry bodies, which have formed a National Joint Action Committee (NJAC), said that the food industry is being affected due to autocratic approach of the FSSAI.
Putting the onus on food regulator, Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) secretary general Praveen Khandelwal, who is heading the new front, said, “There are some senior officials in the FSAAI who are ‘inventing’ mechanisms to benefit multi-national companies (MNCs) for their own interest,” adding that officials dealing with food standards are rampantly violating the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
“Food safety authority has succumbed to pressure from MNCs and wants to promote sale of packed food in India, if a trader wants to follow all the safety standards he can’t do so,” Khandelwal said.
“The environment in FSSAI is like that of a private limited company, it has become autocratic, there is no actual representation of consumer organisations or business organisations on its committees. And as a <g data-gr-id="77">result</g> food industry is on <g data-gr-id="76">verge</g> of being ruined. Therefore we demand a CBI inquiry into the affairs and functioning of FSSAI,” he added.
Alleging an unethical approach towards traders, Khandelwal said that the authority charges Rs 25,000 for product approval, which is not mentioned in the guidelines of the Act. “Products of worth 100-crore are still lying in the factories as the food regulator has not given product approval. We demand refund of Rs 80 crore which has been collected by the authority for product approval,” Khandelwal said, adding, “We have collected data under the RTI act and we are studying the data further which provided basis for the CBI investigation.”
The NJAC stressed that the advisories issued by the FSSAI since 2013 should be withdrawn immediately to respect the Supreme Court’s order dated August 19, which hold that these directives do not have the force of law.
<g data-gr-id="92">Door</g> opens for Reliance?
The ban imposed by FSSAI on Nestle’s Maggi has come as a windfall for Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance as the latter’s noodles filled the huge gap of Maggi’s demand. The packets of Reliance’s atta noodles are available at the shelves of Reliance Fresh, the convenience store of Ambani. The Healthy Life (Reliance) atta noodles with extra vegetables are being sold at the rate of Rs 24, with buy one get one free offer. The product is processed and packed by Haryana-based Lifestyle Foods Pvt Ltd.
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