The Punjab Government is considering reducing taxes on both wheat and basmati in certain thrust areas to make diversification a reality in the state besides giving a fillip to the food processing industry.

Sources said the Food Processing Department had made a proposal for doing away with a majority of the taxes on durum wheat and basmati meant for export and processing purposes.

New Delhi: To enhance accountability for those in food business, Delhi government is all set to make it mandatory for them to seek registration, procure a licence from the department or face penalty.

According to the proposed policy, any food vendor, inclusive of roadside eateries, restaurants, hotels and food processors, with a turnover of up to Rs 12 lakh a year has to register themselves with the government. Those with larger turnover will have to obtain licence from the government.

Suffering staff crunch, officials try to meet February 2014 deadline for registrations

With a 60 per cent shortage in the number of food safety officers, implementation of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2011, has become a problem in Karnataka. Unable to meet the targets of registrations of and issuance of licence to firms/units under the new Act, the deadline has been extended twice.
Officials of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) in the State are now concentrating on registering and issuance of licences to firms and units in the business of manufacturing, transporting, processing, storing and selling easily perishable items (milk, vegetables, ice cream et al) to bring them under the ambit of the new rules, on a priority basis.

AHMEDABAD: At a time when the proposed National Food Security Bill is being debated, the Canadian government has expressed interest in helping Gujarat reduce food-related issues.

In a meeting with Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, the head of government of Canada's Manitoba province, Greg Selinger said the Manitoba government will set up its Food Development Centre in the state.

Kochi: The wait of the public for quality food and hygiene in restaurants and eateries will continue with the deadline for registering them under the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 extended by a year.

Following a request from the state government, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has extended the last date of registration to February 4, 2014. The deadline set for the same had expired on February 4. The authority had given a six-month transitory period for the act to come into force from the earlier Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, which expired in August 2012.

Even as the February 4 deadline for food business units to register themselves under the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 is fast approaching, the district administration organised a rally in the city on Wednesday to sensitise traders to the need to register under the Act immediately.

All food business operators with a turnover of Rs.12 lakh should obtain licence from the designated officer and those with turnover of below Rs.12 lakh should register themselves with the respective food safety officer as per the provisions of the Act.

Food companies say the move will delay new product development and innovation

Probiotic ice-cream, digestive biscuits or lowsugar jams may be flying off retail shelves, but food companies are no longer being allowed to sell new products without taking approvals from the government-promoted Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). According to a new and modified FSSAI advisory issued to all food companies last month, any new or existing product which is ‘proprietary’ – in other words not classified in the food act – will need to follow a regulatory ‘new product approval’ guideline, as laid down by the FSSAI.

Of the six lakh food traders in the City, only 50,000 have procured food safety licences.