FSSAI directs authorities to make sure mid-day meal suppliers have licence

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has asked all licensing and registration authorities to ensure that food business operators involved in the mid-day meal schemes including schools and NGOs etc have FSSAI licence. 

Moreover, the letter by FSSAI stated that cook cum helpers are to be trained under the Food Safety Training & Certification (FoSTaC) scheme and the funds can be utilised from the states.

As per the orders, food safety officers are asked for regular inspection of kitchen-cum-stores of mid-day meals and the sample collection of freshly cooked foods and raw materials for surveillance purposes. 

The state authorities are asked to notify FSSAI about all the food poisoning cases reported among the children due to consumption of mid-day meals and they need to investigate and take legal actions against the defaulting FBOs, the order said.

“Any incidence of the food poisoning/food borne illness reported among the children due to consumption of mid-day meals should be notified to FSSAI, Headquarters and National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC)/Local Health Authorities for reporting on Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) Portal.” the letter said.

The apex regulator has come up with these guidelines after the rising number of food poisoning cases were reported among children by the media.

According to media reports, unhygienic food cooking and handling, lack of proper storage & transportation facilities, carrying out of operations without FSSAI Licence/Registration etc. were the major factors responsible for it, it said in its notification. 

Under PM POSHAN (Poshan Shakti Nirman) scheme popularly known as mid-day meal scheme, children from government and government-aided schools from class I-VIII are to be provided one hot cooked meal to improve the level of the nutrition among the children across the country.