FSSAI Re-operationalises Amendments with Respect of Requirements for Animal Feed

Through a notification issued on 17 August 2020 the FSSAI has issued directions regarding re-operationalisation of Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) amendment Regulations, 2020 with respect to the requirements for animal feed

The FSSAI had framed the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) amendment Regulations 2020 related to the revision of the ‘Note” under regulation 2.5.2 of the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations 2011 (given below) and the same were operationalised on 27 January 2020.

The draft regulations are in the process of being notified and the process of draft notification, consideration of comments, if any that may be received thereon and the finalization of these regulations are likely to take some time. Meanwhile, for the alignment of FSSAI requirements with respect to animal feed with those specified in BIS and DAHD and to address the safety issue identified in the recent quality and safety survey of commodities like milk etc, it has been decided to re-operationalise these regulations with effect from 28 July 2020.

The draft Food Safety and Standards (Food Product Standards and Food Additives) Amendment Regulations 2020 are given below and these regulations were to become operational with immediate effect.

The amendments have been made in the Food Safety and Standards (Food Product Standards and Food Additives) Regulations 2011, for Note given under category 2.5.2 related to Meat and Meat Products which are as follows.  

“All the products listed in regulation 2.5.2 under clause 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 shall comply with following requirements:”

Replaced with

“All the products listed in regulation 2.5.2 shall comply with following requirements:”

All the products listed in the regulation 2.5.2. Meat and Meat Products are listed below for the convenience of FBOs. FBOs must follow the amended clauses under Note given in these regulations (2.5.2) if the produce the following products.

1. Canned or Retort Pouch Meat Products
2. Comminute or Restructured Meat Products
3. Cured or Pickled and Cooked or Smoked Meat Products, or both
4. Dried or Dehydrated Meat Products
5. Cooked or Semi-Cooked Meat Products
6. Fresh or Chilled or Frozen Rabbit meat
7. fresh or Chilled or Frozen Pork or Pig meat
8. fresh or chilled or frozen Beef
9. fresh or chilled or frozen Chevon or Goat meat
10. fresh or chilled or frozen mutton or Sheep meat
11. fresh or chilled or frozen poultry meat

The Note and the amended point (c) in the note are as follows

(a) Notifications or advisories issued under the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945 as well as by the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries concerning use in or consumption of veterinary drugs (antibiotics and growth promoters) by food producing animals or poultry birds must be complied with by the producers or marketers of meat and poultry products.

(b) Use of genetically modified techniques are prohibited for production of meat of animals or poultry birds.

(c) Milk and meat producing animals except poultry, pig and fish shall not be fed with feed containing meat or bone meal including internal organs, blood meal and tissues of bovine or porcine origin materials except milk and mills products. Commercial feeds shall comply with the relevant BIS standards, as may be specified by the Food Authority from time to time, and carry HIS certification mark on the label of the product.”

(d) Production or slaughtering or processing of animals for production of meat of porcine origin in the same production facilities where animals of bovine or ovine or caprine origin are produced or slaughtered or processed is prohibited.

(e) Where eligible meat products are intended to be imported, there should be appropriate inspection and certification procedures in place to ensure all the above compliances before grant of market access.

Source : FSSAI