Sathguru untangles the Food Safety Act at USIBC

Ashok Jha

Pushpa Vijayaraghavan

New Delhi , January 13, 2012: Ashok Jha, General Manager, Life Sciences Advisory Group at Sathguru Management Consultants, Hyderabad and Pushpa Vijayaraghavan, Vice President at Sathguru Inc., Boston delivered a comprehensive presentation that summarized various regulatory aspects of the recently established Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

The presentation entitled Navigating FSSAI's New Licensing & Registration Regulations and Ministry of Consumer Affairs' New Standard Pack Size Rules was delivered under the aegis of the US India Business Council (USIBC) Food & Agriculture Executive Committee Conference Call.  In their joint presentation, Ashok and Pushpa delivered an analysis of the requirements under which all food operators will have to apply for licenses and register themselves with the Authority. The presentation dealt with timelines under which the requirements are met, commercial implications of these requirements and other relevant nuances.

The recent amendment by India's Ministry of Consumer Affairs to India's Legal Metrology Packaged Commodity Rules 2011 that does away with the provision allowing the use of non-standard pack sizes for many everyday food and beverage products was also covered by the presentation. Participants of the call were able to gain a greater understanding of the impact that the FSSAI regulations may have on consumers, manufacturers, and importers.