Food Hygiene Standards For New India

To protect the premise from fly and other insects / pests / animals, windows, doors and all other openings of food establishments should be well screened with wire-mesh or insectproof screen as applicable.

- Jyotismita Sharma

As India readies itself to embark on a journey to unleash its untapped potentials to shine in the world stage and become a formidable voice in the international community, the need to bring in changes in all aspects of life has never been more imporantant than it is now. This includes the areas of food hygiene and saftey as well – both in theory and in practice. For, will India be seen as an ideal destination if it is continued to be viewed as a country with inadequate sanitation and food hygiene standards? The answer is definitely “no”. The “New India” of tomorrow will therefore need renewed efforts to implement the hygiene standards that are already in place or those that will come.

But it is always easier said than done, especilally in India as the issues involved here are way too complex than what they seem from outside, especially in view of the fact that a large part of the country's food businesses are run by the unorganised sector. That does not mean the goals of making an image makeover for the country is unachievable. However, it deserves here a mention that hygienic practices are integrally connected to ensuring food safety. Therefore it is even more important to ensure that the best practices are followed.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSA) has already started the New Year by brining in a new regulation to make food consumption in the country safer. FSSAI’s new packaging regulations were notified in the first week of January 2019.

“The new packaging regulations would raise the bar of food safety in India to the next level,” said FSSAI CEO Pawan Agarwal.

These regulations address all concerns that came out of the two studies conducted by FSSAI recently through the Indian Institute of Packaging (IIP), Mumbai and the National Test House (NTH), Kolkata.