Through a notification uploaded on August 2, 2017, the FSSAI has proposed a draft on Food Safety and Standards (Import) Amendment Regulation 2017 that deals with the clause related to the expiry of product at the time of port clearance and sanitary export certificate. The FSSAI has invited suggestions, views and comments from WTO- TBT Committee members within a period of 60 days from the above-mentioned date.
In the Food Safety and Standards (Import) Regulations, 2017 the FSSAI has proposed to make amendments as follows
In Chapter II relating to ‘Licensing of Food Importers’, in regulation No 3
- The FSSAI proposes to OMIT the following clause – No article of food shall be cleared from the custom unless it has a valid shelf life of not less than sixty percent at the time of import. (2)
- Sub-clause (3) which says – For the purposes of sub-regulations (1) and (2), the Food Importer shall register himself with the Directorate General of Foreign Trade and possess valid Import-Export Code,
Will be replaced by the following
- For the purpose of sub-clause (1), the Food Importer shall register himself with the Directorate General of Foreign Trade and possess valid Import-Export Code.”
In Chapter III related to ‘Clearance of Imported Food by the Food Authority’, in regulation 5, after sub-regulation (5). A new sub-regulation No (6) will be added which is as follows
“(6) No article of food shall be cleared from the custom unless it has a valid shelf life of not less than sixty percent. or three months whichever is less at the time of import.”
In Chapter VII, relating to ‘Scheme for Risk-based Food Import Clearance’, in regulation 11, sub-regulation (2) which was as follows – “For the purposes of sub-regulation (1), the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India shall profile the
Importer, Custom House Agents, imported product, a manufacturer of the imported product, country of origin, source country of the consignment, port of entry, compliance history and any other parameters deemed fit for profiling the risk associated with the commodity.”
The above will be replaced with the following
(2) For the purpose of sub-regulation (1)
(a) The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India shall profile the Importer, Custom House Agents, imported product, a manufacturer of the imported product, country of origin, source country of the consignment, port of entry, compliance history and any other parameters deemed fit for profiling the risk associated with the commodity.
(b) The importer shall submit a sanitary export certificate from authorized agencies in exporting countries for certain food categories as may be specified by the Food Authority from time to time.
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