Several food safety and regulatory violations were observed during an inspection drive conducted by the Food Safety Team, Kohima Zone, at provisional stores in Jail Colony, Kohima.
The inspection was carried out recently under the Chief Medical Office, Kohima, led by the Designated Officer and Food Safety Officer, as part of an awareness exercise and to check food products for proper labelling and compliance with food safety regulations.
According to the Food Safety Administration, many shops inspected were found without valid Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) licences or registration certificates, which are mandatory for food business operators. The department said the licence or registration certificate must also be displayed prominently at the business premises.
The inspection also found several home-based food products without complete labelling, including mandatory declarations such as best-before dates and the address of the food business operator. In some cases, expired FSSAI licence or registration numbers were found printed on product labels.
The department further observed that some shops involved in repacking food products were operating without proper label declarations and FSSAI licence numbers of the manufacturer and re-packer. It said such re-packers are also required to obtain a Medical Fitness Certificate from a registered doctor.
Certain imported food products displayed for sale were also found without the requisite FSSAI licence number and importer details. The department reminded food business operators that imported food products must carry the name and address of the importer along with the required licence number.
In addition, some food articles that were not permitted to be sold loose from their original packets were found displayed individually without labels.
As the inspection was conducted as an awareness exercise, the concerned food business operators were warned to comply with food safety requirements. The officials marked the non-compliant food articles to be kept aside for return, while cautioning that subsequent non-compliance could result in seizure or detention of such products.
The Food Safety Administration also urged consumers not to purchase food products without proper labelling and to report such violations to the concerned authorities.
The department said similar inspection and awareness exercises would continue and cautioned food business operators to ensure compliance with food safety regulations.