New law to check sale of adulterated food

New law to check sale of adulterated food
Archit Watts /TNS

Jammu, August 31
With the coming into force of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, the state government has started the process to check the sale of adulterated food.

The government has appointed district food safety officers and gave powers to other officials to check the violations and impose heavy fines. Earlier, the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, dealt with such violations.

Talking to The Tribune over the phone, Satish Gupta, Food Safety Commissioner and Drug Controller, said, “The rules and regulations of the Food Safety and Standards Act have been enforced in the state from August 5 and now we have appointed district food safety officers to ensure the implementation of the Act.”

He added, “The officials are being trained to implement the new Act.”

He said the new Act had provisions for penalties up to Rs 10 lakh for the sale of substandard and unbranded material and fines up to Rs 5 lakh, with six years’ imprisonment, for non-grievous injury due to the consumption of unsafe food.

“It also imposes a penalty of not less than Rs 10 lakh with an imprisonment of not less than seven years, which may extend to life imprisonment in case of death occurring due to the consumption of unsafe food,” he added.

Sources said the new Act was implemented after receiving a number of complaints about substandard food being sold in the state and the earlier Act not proving beneficial.

Gupta hoped that the new Act would start showing results in the coming days when designated officers of the Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution Department (CAPD),the Food Safety and Health Department and the municipalities would start dealing with violators.

He said the district food safety officers had been appointed in all the 22 districts of the state.