On the occasion of 19th Organic World Congress Hon’ble Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Shri Radha Mohan Singh formally launched the Food Safety and Standards (Organic Foods) Regulations 2017, along with the ‘Jaivik Bharat’ Logo and “Indian Organic Integrity Database Portal.” The unified regulation on Organic Foods is in keeping with the spirit of ‘One Nation, One Food Law.’ The FSSAI took this opportunity to declare the Organic Food Regulations operational and so too the unified logo with tagline “Jaivik Bharat.”
On the occasion of 19th Organic World Congress Hon’ble Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Shri Radha Mohan Singh formally launched the Food Safety and Standards (Organic Foods) Regulations 2017, along with the ‘Jaivik Bharat’ Logo and “Indian Organic Integrity Database Portal.” The unified regulation on Organic Foods is in keeping with the spirit of ‘One Nation, One Food Law.’ The FSSAI took this opportunity to declare the Organic Food Regulations operational and so too the unified logo with tagline “Jaivik Bharat.”
The Organic logo was unveiled in the presence of representatives from 110 countries with more than 3,000 delegates and farmer/ producer organizations from different parts of the world, along with several other dignitaries. Speaking at the launch, Shri Pawan Agarwal, CEO, FSSAI highlighted that the ‘Jaivik Bharat’ logo will be a game changer in the history of Organic Foods. This initiative will build consumer confidence in Organic Foods and will also accelerate the growth of Trade and Commerce in Organic Foods both within India and abroad.
The Indian Organic Integrity Database Portal has been jointly developed by FSSAI along with APEDA and PGS-India. Through this Portal, the consumers can access all information with respect to the producer, the certification system and the availability of certified organic products. Consumers will be able to verify the authenticity of all organic foods in India. The portal can be accessed at www.jaivikbharat.fssai.gov.in.
FSSAI is mandated to regulate organic foods in the country under the provisions of Section 22 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. FSSAI had initiated the compiling of the regulation about a year back. It had carried out extensive consultations with various stakeholders, including related ministries, agencies, NGOs, farmer organizations etc. After gathering all information the FSSAI made the draft regulation which was notified and comments were invited from stakeholders. After inputs and consideration of stakeholder comments, the regulation was finalized and called the Food Safety and Standards (Organic Foods) Regulations, 2017.
The Food Safety and Standards (Organic Foods) Regulations 2017 recognizes two existing systems of Organic certification –
- National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) of APEDA, Department of Commerce and Participatory
- Guarantee System for India (PGS-India) of Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
- The regulation also provides for recognition of other certification systems in the future.
All foods offered or promoted for sale as Organic Foods are required to comply with all the requirements of NPOP or PGS-India presently. In future, the FSSAI may also recognize and approve other certification systems. However, direct sales of organic food by small farmers, producer or producer organization to the end-consumer are exempt from this requirement. All organic foods under the regulation have to comply with other Regulations of FSSAI as applicable.
Currently, the NPOP and PGS-India have two separate logos and the FSSAI felt the need to have one unified Organic logo and have unified the two separate logos under “Jaivik Bharat” logo. The unified logo will serve as an identification to distinguish organic products from non-organic ones, supported with the tagline “Jaivik Bharat” at the bottom, for easy identification of Organic Food from India. This logo effectively intertwines elements of the environment and communicates adherence to the National Organic Standards.
The FSSAI also organized a workshop on 8th November 2017 to sensitize and prepare the Accredited Certification Bodies (CBs) under NPOP for certification of organic foods. This initiative was appreciated by CBs and they have given full assurance of their preparedness to tackle the increased workload since the Food Safety and Standards (Organic Foods) Regulations, 2017 are now operational.
The 19th Organic World Congress received a stellar participation and included Shri
Surya Pratap Shahi, Hon’ble Minister for Agriculture, Uttar Pradesh and Mr. Andre Leu, President IFOAM – Organics International. The event also showcased a special ceremony, which saw Shri Pawan Chamling, Hon’ble Chief Minister, Sikkim receive the Life Time Award for his efforts to promote Organic Farming across the nation.
Courtesy: FSSAI
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