Food Businesses Operators Must Report Expired Food Items

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has introduced a new directive requiring food business operators to submit detailed data regarding expired food items. This initiative is aimed at strengthening food safety regulations and improving accountability across the food industry. By collecting this data, the FSSAI hopes to ensure that expired products are properly handled and disposed of, reducing the risks to consumer health. The move also emphasizes the importance of maintaining transparency and compliance in the food supply chain, especially as food safety continues to be a major concern for both businesses and consumers.

With this action, FSSAI is taking a more proactive approach to managing food safety standards. Operators will be expected to keep accurate records of expired food in their inventory, helping to prevent the distribution of unsafe products to consumers. This shift in regulatory focus is seen as a significant step in enhancing the integrity of India’s food industry and promoting consumer confidence in the quality of food products.

The FSSAI said on Friday that in order to ensure that expired or rejected products are not repacked/rebranded and sold, they are required to submit a quarterly report for all FBOs including re-packers, re-labellers and importers. In the new provision by the FSSAI all Food Business Operators (FBOs) are required to maintain a record of the food products that have not met quality standards or have been rejected during internal audits, quality checks and/or inspections. The records should have details on quantity of rejected materials along with other details like date of rejection, reason. The records should also include products that have expired or have returned from food chain due to quality issues or rejection.

In conclusion, this new requirement by FSSAI represents a critical milestone in ensuring that food businesses not only meet safety standards but also actively contribute to public health by managing expired inventory more effectively.