The Commissioner of Food Safety has noted that several manufacturers of Packaged Drinking Water (PDW) and Mineral Water (MW) are operating without the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) Certification Mark.
According to regulation 2.3.14 (17) and (18) of the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restriction on Sales) Regulations, 2011, “No person shall manufacture, sell, or exhibit for sale Packaged Drinking Water (PDW) and Mineral Water (MW) except under the Bureau of Indian Standards Certification Mark (BIS).” Additionally, Section 31 of the Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Act, 2006, requires all Food Business Operators (FBOs) to obtain a license or registration before commencing any food business.
It also states that packaged drinking water can be packed in bottles/Pet Jars including 20 Litre Jars. Manufacturers of Packaged Drinking Water be it MSME or Large Scale are required to obtain License of BIS and is a precondition to upload the BIS Certificate while applying for FSSAI License/Registration.
Accordingly, the commissioner informed that following procedure has been laid down by FSSAI for considering the application for issuance of FSSAI License in case of manufacturers of PDW and MW:
· FBOs must upload a copy of the BIS license or a letter indicating the recording of the application for a BIS license when applying for a new license for PDW and MW from FSSAI on the FoSCoS online system.
· After obtaining the BIS license, the FBO must furnish its details in the online Annual Return available in FoSCoS.
· The BIS license is a mandatory document when applying for a license renewal.
· In the event of the closure or rejection of an application for a license by BIS, the FBO must inform the concerned Licensing Authority, and the FSSAI application or license is liable to be rejected, suspended, or cancelled.
The commissioner further maintained that failure to comply with these regulations will attract penalties under sections 58 and 63 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.