The sea locations referred to the officers-designate include Goa, Paradip, JNPT, Mumbai, Kolkata, Cochin and Kandla, while the airports of Pune, Mumbai, Amritsar & Attari, Lucknow, Bhubaneswar, Trivandrum, Trichy, Cochin, Calicut, Ahmedabad, Chennai. include and jaipur.

When asked if it was common practice to designate MBBS doctors as the designated officer / licensing authority for grocery store licensing, the FSSAI responded in a response to FnB News that this was done in accordance with Sl. No. 10 of Schedule 1 of Food Safety & Standards (Licensing & Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011, “Food Catering Services in facilities and units under Central Government Agencies like Railways, Airport, Seort, Defense etc. fall within the area of ​​responsibility of Central approval authority. „

Further, under Reg. 2.1.5 (2), the Chief Executive Officer of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, in the capacity of a Food Safety Officer, may appoint a designated officer or food safety officer for central government organizations such as railways and defense who have: large number of food establishments to ensure food safety in these establishments and to ensure that all other conditions set out for the operation of grocery stores under the Act and this Ordinance are complied with.

The FSSAI statement states: “Sea towns and airports are under the administrative control of the central government, which are regulated by the General Directorate of the Health System (DGHS) through their Port Health Officer (PHO) and Airport Health Officer (HO), as they are In the case of central government organizations, the Sea and Airport Officers / CLAs will be designated by the CEO, FSSAI, in the role of Food Safety Officer in the exercise of the powers delegated under the aforementioned ordinances. „

In this context: “The proposals for the nomination of the designated officers for ports and airports are received from time to time by the General Directorate Health System (DGHS), who are designated as designated officials for the point of entry in question; provided they meet the criteria set out above in accordance with the rules for the named body. „

When asked if MBBS doctors were qualified enough to handle food-related matters, the Food Inspectorate replied, “As for the eligibility criteria for the post of officer-designate, a person can be designated as an officer-designate who is responsible for the in Rule No. 2.1.2 of the Food Safety & Standards Rules, 2011, which requires the designated officer to be a full-time officer, not below the rank of subdivision officer or equivalent. Therefore, according to the FSS rules 2011 in the currently valid version, there are no specific training criteria for the named position. „

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Food Importers Forum said: “We as the Indian Food Importers Forum (FIFI) welcome the FSSAI’s initiative to recruit designated officials at various ports of entry. It is always helpful to have active resources on site who work with a clear policy and are also familiar with the regulatory requirements of India. We continue to urge the FSSAI to conduct routine training sessions with the FBOs and also for FSSAI staff – so that all stakeholders are aware of the headquarters’ narrative and ensure seamless compliance. „