FSSAI has issued an order dated 19 September 2018, regarding the display of food safety display boards for consumer awareness. FSSAI had earlier on 15 February 2018, issued directions regarding the operationalization of the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Amendment Regulation 2018 where one of the Conditions of License is stated as follows
In case of restaurant display a Food Safety Display Board at all times at a prominent place in the premises
FSSAI has observed that even after six months of issuing these regulations, all restaurants owners have not yet complied with this mandatory condition of the license. This means that those restaurants that do not have a food safety display for consumer awareness are not adhering to the conditions as laid down by the FSSAI.
The FSSAI has decided that all restaurants will henceforth display the Food Safety Display Board (FSDB) as given at the bottom of this article at all times in a prominent place in their premises. The display board must mention the FSSAI license number so as to ensure compliance of the conditions of the license. A soft copy of the FSSAI Display Board for consumer awareness can be downloaded from https://fssai.gov.in/home/safe-food-practices/food-safety-display-boards.html.
The Food Safety Display Board (FSDB) shall be printed on A3 size cardboard material and must be displayed anywhere at the entrance, reception area, billing areas etc. where it can easily be viewed by the consumers. Any non-compliance of this condition by the restaurant’s owners beyond 15 October 2018 would attract actions as per the provisions of the FSS Act, Rules and Regulations made hereunder.
As per the FSS Regulation, there is a mandatory requirement of displaying FSSAI License/Registration Number at food premises. Usually, the FSSAI license number is not visible to the consumers. Thus, to change the overall consumer perceptibility and to strengthen food safety, FSSAI has introduced Food Safety Display Boards (FSDBs) for various food businesses. Henceforth, in addition to the existing mandatory requirement of displaying FSSAI License/ Registration Number, it will also be mandatory (in a phased manner) for FBOs to display these Food Safety Display Boards at FBO premise.
Food Safety Display Boards are
- informative boards which primarily display food safety and hygiene practices to be followed by FBO in their establishment
- colour coded for different kind of food businesses for ease of recognition by the consumers
- The colour designation as per kind of business is as follows
1.Restaurant (Purple)
2.Fruit & Vegetable Retail (Green)
3.Meat Retail (Red)
4.Milk Retail (Blue)
5.Street Food (Purple)
6.Retail Store (Grey)
7.Liquor Retail (Brown)
8.Transport & Distribution (Navy Blue)
9.Storage (Yellow)
10.Manufacturing (Turquoise)
Three important elements of FSDBs are:
- Display of FSSAI registration/license number of the FBO, which the customer can verify at FSSAI website.
- Food Safety and Hygiene Requirements – Inform the consumers, the food handlers and the regulatory staff about these important requirements, thus getting 360 degree assurance on food safety.
- An effective consumer feedback system that provides various options to consumers for sending feedback through WhatsApp, SMS or give feedback on FSSAI App.
Points to consider while displaying FSDBs
- Only display FSDB specific to the kind of food business.
- Size: A4 size for FSSAI Registered food business and A3 for FSSAI Licensed Food Business.
- of FSDs to be displayed: A minimum of one FSDB may be displayed. More than one can be displayed in case the outlet is big in size and FSDB displayed is not visible to all the consumers and food handlers from one specific place.
- Material of FSDB: Content of FSDB must not get blurred or damaged over time.
Directions for FBOs: The FBOs may add their FSSAI/License No. on top and Company Name and Feedback Details on a lower right-hand side for the feedback mechanism.
Leave a Reply Cancel reply