Lukewarm response to online license system in food business

CHANDIGARH:Even as the Punjab government has cracked the whip on food business operators (FBO) indulging in malpractices and running operations sans licence, the online system for license and registration has evoked lukewarm response.

In Punjab there are over one lakh food business operators of which a large number are working without mandatory license. For encouraging FBO’s to apply for license, an online system was launched on March 3, 2014. In the last four years of its launch only 22,105 applications have been received for issuance of license and 56,919 for registration. Taking serious note of the response, the officials of the food and drug administration have been directed to make efforts for making FBO apply for license and take action against food operators operating without license. The issue will be taken up in the next civil surgeons' review meeting.

As per norms, license is issued to the FBO having an annual turnover above Rs.12 lakh, while registration certificate is mandatory for an FBO with annual turnover under Rs 12 lakh. As per the official record, district Ludhiana tops the chart with 3086 applications for licenses and 8239 for registration certificates while Jalandhar received 2264 applications for licences and 4242 for registration certificates.Rupnagar received only 286 applications for license, which is minimum in the state, followed by Mansa will 297 applications.As large number of FBO’s do not comply with the laid down norms, Punjab government has started imparting training to eatery units in the state. Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) issued a notification on April 25, 2018, making training mandatory for the FBOs, who have taken the license of the food products business. FDA staff, the health inspectors, multi-purpose health workers and mass media wing of health department is mobilising the food business operators to participate in the training.