Salient features of the Act

♤ Establish the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India for laying down science-based standards for articles of food and to regulate their manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import, to ensure availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption.

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India consists of a chairperson and 22 members, of which one-third shall be women.

♤ Food Safety and Standards Authority of India to be aided by several scientific panels and a central advisory committee to lay down standards for food safety. These standards will include specifications for ingredients, contaminants, pesticide residue, biological hazards and labels.

♤ The law to be enforced through State Commissioners of Food Safety and local level officials.

♤ Everyone in the food sector is required to get a licence or a registration which would be issued by local authorities.

♤ Every distributor is required to be able to identify any food article to its manufacturer, and every seller to its distributor.

♤ Anyone in the sector should be able to initiate recall procedures if he finds that the food sold had violated specified standards.