DC-5 - Lesson 3
DC-5 - Lesson 3
DC-5 - Lesson 3
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Legal Standards
3.3 Parameters Generally Taken into Consideration while Fixing Legal Standards
3.3.1 Purity
3.3.2 Composition
3.3.3 Additives
3.3.4 Efficiency of processing
3.3.5 Bacteriological quality (Hygienic quality)
3.3.6 Packaging and labeling requirements
3.4 Quality Standards
3.5 Why Do We Need Legal and Quality Standards?
3.6 PFA Act and Rules
3.7 Procedure for Collection and Analysis of PFA Samples
3.8 Preservative Permitted To Be Added To Samples
3.9 Agriculture Produce (Grading and Marking) Act (AGMARK)
3.10 Objectives of Agmark Scheme
3.11 How The Certificate of The Authority To Use Agmark Labels Is Obtained?
3.12 How The Agmark Scheme Operates In Case Of Butter & Ghee?
3.13 Bureau of Indian Standards (B.I.S)
3.14 Modern Integrated Food Law ( FSSA, 2006)
3.14.1 Highlights of the Food Safety and Standard Act, 2006
3.14.2 Establishment of FSSAI
3.14.3 Composition of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India
3.14.4 Punishment for unsafe food under FSSAI
3.14.5 Penalty for selling food not of the nature or substance or quality
demanded
3.14.6 Penalty for sub-standard food
3.14.7 Penalty for possessing adulterant
3.1 Introduction
In India, we have mostly two types of standards, which govern the sale of foods
including milk and milk products. These are: Legal standards and Quality standards.
Moreover, we had many bodies enforcing standards. This led to lot of confusion for
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both manufacturers as well as enforcers. In the recent past the concept of globalization
or flat word has emerged very strongly, where all the boundaries have been eliminated.
However, some barriers to trade with respect to more stringent norms and others have
been raised. In this context Indian Standards needed to be harmonized within
themselves as well as with the international standards. To eliminate the problems and
confusions in the trade of food items including milk, a thought of uniform standards was
evolved, which has been culminated in the form of Food Safety and Standards
Authority of India.
Legal standard means the specifications or the requirements which pertain to the law of
the Govt. and are set up by the Govt. to meet certain minimum requirements in terms
of chemical quality (i.e. composition), bacteriological quality (i.e. hygienic quality), and
labeling and packaging requirements.
In our country, legal standards are given under PFA Rules, 1955 (which are amended
from time to time). Legal standards or PFA standards prescribe the minimum
requirements for all types and categories of food. These standards are consistent with
the minimum quality that is attainable under Indian conditions by the majority of the
farmers, producers, processors, sale agencies etc. Further, any food that does not
confirm to the minimum standards laid down by the legal rulers (PFA rules) is said to be
adulterated, irrespective whether anything has been added to or removed from the
original food.
3.3 Parameters Generally Taken into Consideration while Fixing Legal Standards
3.3.1 Purity
There should be a mention of purity in clear terms i.e. whether anything can be added
or removed from the original food should be clearly specified in the rules.
3.3.2 Composition
Certain compositional criteria should also be clearly specified in the rules, as to what
should be the minimum level of components in a given type of product. For example,
fat and solids-not-fat content in milk, fat in whole milk powder, cream, paneer etc.
Similarly, moisture in ghee, butter, skim milk powder etc. Likewise, all the
compositional requirements should be specified for all the dairy products.
3.3.3 Additives
If any additives are required to be added to any food to improve its quality, stability,
flavour etc, these should be clearly specified in the rules with respect to their levels etc.
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For example, certain additives are permitted like nisin (preservative) in cheese, BHA
(antioxidant) in ghee, butter, whole milk powder etc.
Permissible limits for coliform count, total count, yeast and mould count etc should be
clearly specified in the rules
There should be mention in the rules as to what type of packaging material is to be used
for what type of food and what should be indicated on the labels like quantity, price,
manufacturing date, expiry date etc. Now- a- days, nutritional facts are to be given on
the labels.
Quality standards means those specifications which are laid down by the Govt or some
expert body constituted by the Govt. for the purpose of producing high quality products.
While legal standards are compulsory, the quality standards are not compulsory. They
are on voluntary basis.
Agmark standards
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Both of these are above the PFA minimum standards. Both of these are useful for
producing export quality products.
BIS/ISI standards deal with many types of processed food products, apart from non-
food products. Similarly, Agmark standards deal with many types of foods, mainly with
the raw agricultural produce. For example: cereals, oils, oil seeds, spices, eggs, legumes
(pulses), ghee, butter etc.
Among the dairy products, for the purpose of quality standards, ghee and creamery
butter (Table butter or salted butter) are covered under Agmark. Rest of the dairy
products are covered under BIS/ISI.
As stated earlier, Agmark and BIS are voluntary and not compulsory; but in 1987, BIS
has made it compulsory or mandatory for certain items to have ISI mark. For example,
for food colors and additives, vanaspati, containers for packing, milk powder and
condensed milk. Therefore, for these two milk products (milk powder and condensed
milk), it is now compulsory to have ISI mark.
The main purpose of these standards is to protect the interest of the consumer, although
in a way the interest of the manufacturer also gets protected, because if it is a certified
product with some quality mark (like ISI, Agmark), it will sell more as compared to the
uncertified product.
Moreover, customer also wants to be sure about quality. He does not mind to pay a
little more for an assumed quality product i.e. certified product.
Furthermore, someone has to protect the interest of the consumer. They should not be
left at the mercy of the manufacturers, because he is ignorant about the quality.
Consumer should get a product of pure quality (i.e. unadulterated) free from pathogenic
organisms and also free from harmful substances like pesticides, antibiotics, heavy
metals (toxic metals like Arsenics, lead, mercury etc), and toxins etc.
So, it is the duty of the Govt. to fix legal standards to protect the interest of the
consumer and also to fix quality standards so as to improve the quality of the product to
a higher degree above the minimum legal (PFA) standards.
PFA stands for Prevention of Food Adulteration. The PFA Act was passed in 1954 and
PFA Rules were framed in 1955 to protect the consumers against the supply of inferior
quality or adulterated food. In recent years the Govt. of India has enacted another Act
known as “The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006”, abbreviated as FSS Act 2006.
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The regulations under this act have come into force from Aug, 2011.
PFA standards are formulated and revised by an expert body called Central Committee
for Food standards (CCFS) under the Directorate General of health Services, Ministry
of Health and Family Welfare. It is the CCFS which advices the Central Govt. and the
State Govt. on matters arising out of the administration of PFA Act. It is a very heavy
committee .People from all the States and the Union Territories (UTs) and all the major
Ministries and departments are representative of this committee.
PFA samples are collected by Food Inspectors. After collecting the samples, he divides
the sample then and there into 3 parts. One part is sent for analysis to Public Analyst
(under the control of local health authority, usually the chief medical officer (CMO).
Two parts are given to local health authority (LHA) for custody.
The public analyst has to send the report of analysis within 40 days of receipt of
sample. In case of adverse report of public analyst, the 2nd part of sample is produced
in the court within 7 days and the copy of report is given to party i.e. accused by the
local health authority (CMO). Within a period of 10days of the report, LHA or party
concerned or both of them may make an application to the court for getting the 2nd part
of the sample analyzed at Central Food Laboratory (CFL).
On receipt of such report, the court sends the 2nd part of sample for analysis to
Director, CFL, who has to send a certificate on the result of analysis within one month
from the receipt of 2nd part of sample.
The 3rd part of the sample is kept to meet such exigencies like damage /destruction /
breakage on the way when first part of sample is sent to Public Analyst for analysis.
The report of public analyst on 1st part of the sample stands superseded by the
certificate issued by the Director, CFL on analysis of the 2nd part of the sample.
There are several Public Health Laboratories (also called Public Food Laboratories) in
the country where first part of the sample is analysed. Almost each district has such a
lab under the control of Chief Medical Officer (called Local Health Authority).
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But there are only four CFL (central food laboratories) in the country. These are
located at Kolkata, Mysore, Pune and Ghaziabad. All these 4 CFLs take care of the
requirements of whole country, Zone wise. In fact the whole country is divided into 4
Zones and each zone is then connected to one of these CFL. Samples of a particular
area/zone are sent to the concerned CFL.
When a food inspector takes the sample of any food for analysis, he has to add a
preservative, as may be prescribed from time to time, so as to keep the sample in a
condition suitable for analysis. The preservative used in the case of samples of any milk
(including toned, separated and skimmed milk, standardized milk chhanna, skimmed
milk chhanna, cream, ice-candy, dahi, khoa or khoa based or paneer based sweets, such
as kalakand and burfi, chutney and prepared foods, gur,coffee and tea in liquid and
semi liquid form, shall be the liquid commonly known as “formalin”, a liquid containing
about 40 percent of formaldehyde in aqueous solution in the proportion of 0.1 ml (two
drops) for 25ml or 25grams (i.e.@ 0.4%). Provided that in case of ice-cream and mixed
ice-cream, the preservative used shall be in the proportion of 0.6 ml for 100 ml or 100
gm (i.e.@ 0.6%).
Agmark is the exclusive property of Govt. of India. It is not a private trade mark.
Directorate of Marketing & Inspection (DMI) is the authority on the Agmark whose
head quarter is now at Faridabad and branched head quarter is at Nagpur. It is the DMI
which enforces the Agricultural Produce Act, 1937.
Under the Agricultural Produce Act, 1937-grade standards are given for agricultural and
allied commodities like cereals, oil seeds, oils, creamery butter, ghee, legumes, eggs etc.
Agricultural commodities are categorized into various grades such as, special, good, fair,
ordinary etc depending upon the degree of quality (type of composition) in each case.
These grades are known as “Agmark Standards” and this way of categorizing or grading
the agricultural products in terms of their chemical composition or quality is called
“Agmark Grading”.
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• To have a sale of the product in the market with a uniform composition and well
defined quality.
As told earlier, among the dairy products, only ghee and creamery butter (Table butter
or salted butter) are graded under Agmark. Deshi or cooking (unsalted or white) butter
is not graded under Agmark.
3.11 How The Certificate of The Authority To Use Agmark Labels Is Obtained?
Interested parties who wish to get authority to use Agmark Labels have to apply to the
Agricultural Marketing Advisor (AMA) to Govt. of India at Directorate of Marketing &
Inspection (DMI) whose H.Q is at Faridabad (Branched H.Q. at Nagpur). Application
by the party concerned should be submitted through the state marketing officer.
Interested parties should meet the following pre-requisites so as to get the authority to
use Agmark labels.
• They should have well equipped, hygienic site and hygienic equipments.
• They should have qualified staff like butter makers having 5 years experience or
possessing a certificate of proficiency from a recognized agricultural or dairy
institute. Similarly, a chemist with dairying degree in dairying.
• Packers of pasteurized table butter should have pasteurizing plant and cold
storage facilities.
• They should have quality control checks on cream and raw materials so as to
ensure that no adulteration with animal or vegetable fat takes place.
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• No vegetable fat, animal body fat and no artificial flavoring or coloring matter
should be seen near the factory and cream separating station.
• They should also send one sample of butter/ghee to Regional Agmark Lab or any
other specified lab at regular intervals as advised by AMA.
• All instructions from AMA will have to be followed strictly. For example,
method of sampling, method of sealing and marking of tins or cartons,
maintenance of records, labeling procedure as prescribed by AMA. Upto date
record of labels to be kept, labels to indicate clearly the designation (pasteurized
butter, special & general grade of ghee etc) and serial number of label. Container
should indicate the name of packer, batch no. (Melt no), date of packing, net
weight and Certificate of Authorization (CA) number.
Now if parties concerned can afford, then write to AMA at Faridabad/Nagpur through
state marketing officer. Then, AMA or his authorized persons will inspect the premises,
the facilities and technical staff etc. After satisfaction, AMA issues the necessary
certificate of authority to use Agmark Labels. Certificate of Authorization is renewed
periodically on the basis of the past performance of the authorized packer.
3.12 How The Agmark Scheme Operates In Case Of Butter & Ghee?
Once the authority to use Agmark Label for butter/ghee is obtained, then usually the
Agmark people employ their chemist (called Agmark chemist) in the factory.
All the operations right from the stage of manufacturing the product to the stage of
packing and sealing are done under the supervision of Agmark chemist.
Usually the butter, ghee etc are manufactured in the factory itself, but sometimes the
Kacha/Raw ghee is brought to the factory by middlemen, or agents or producers, then
the Agmark chemist draws sample of that Raw or Kacha ghee and analyses for BR
reading, FFA, Baudouin test, RM and Polenske value etc for his satisfaction about its
purity, before its further processing.
After the manufacturing of every batch of butter or ghee, but before the packing and
sealing, the product is tested for purity and quality by the Agmark chemist as per the
Agmark standard of the concerned product.
Agmark chemist draws two samples of butter, one is analysed and second is sent to
Regional Agmark Laboratory as specified by AMA. Similarly in case of ghee, he draws
three samples, one is analysed and second is sent to central control lab as per AMA and
3rd is given to manufacturer for future use.
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Once the Agmark chemist is satisfied with the analysis with regard to the specifications
fixed under Agmark, then only labels are issued and fixed, otherwise it is denied.
Fixing of labels is done by a special adhesive in such a manner that once fixed cannot be
removed without damage.
In case the Agmark chemist is not employed, then the authorized packer can get his
product tested at the approved State Grading Laboratory (SGL).
After the ghee and butter are packed and sealed in tins/cartons and sold in the market,
the field staff of DMI collects the check samples from the market when the products
are on sale in the market. These check samples are analysed at different Regional
Agmark Laboratories (RAL) and the results are compared with the original. If the
results agree then alright, but if the results do not agree, then appropriate action is taken,
such as the product is withdrawn from the market, and the authority to use Agmark
labels is cancelled etc.
Membership of BIS is broad based and all important interests are represented.
Minister for food and civil supplies is the President of BIS
• Members of Parliament,
• Ministers of state govts.,
• Nominees of central Govt. Ministries and departments,
• Farmers community,
• Consumers organizations,
• Academic institutions,
• Research institutions,
• Industry and
• Professional Associations.
For getting an authority/or license to use ISI mark on the products, the manufactures
have to apply to BIS for permission.
BIS people then send a team to inspect the factory, verify the capabilities of
manufacturer to produce and also test the products on continuous basis in accordance
with the relevant Indian standards.
They also check the quality of the products and other facilities and after satisfying
themselves they give permission to use ISI mark.
BIS gives a well defined quality control system to the manufactures and tells them to
exercise control measures at various stages like,
• Raw material,
• Diff. stages of production,
• Finished product stage.
BIS keeps a supervisory control to ensure that the ISI marks product are always in
conformity with the relevant Indian standards.
BIS also has an elaborate Quality Audit System under which they draw the samples
And then test the samples in their own labs or recognized labs to check the conformity
with the relevant Indian standards.
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BIS also entertains complaints from consumers and arranges free replacements of
defective ISI-marked goods.
BIS also provides training in statistical quality control to its applicants and licensees for
improving their technical skill.
In order to consolidate the laws relating to food and to 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 and for matters
connected therewith or incidental thereto, the Govt. of India has enacted new food laws
known as “The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006”. This Act was passed on 23rd
August, 2006. It extends to the whole of India.
However, the Act came in to force only recently in 2011. This Act consolidates various
acts & orders that have hitherto handled food related issues in various Ministries and
Departments.
Various central Acts like Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954 , Fruit Products
Order , 1955, Meat Food Products Order , 1973, Vegetable Oil Products (Control)
Order, 1947, Edible Oils Packaging (Regulation) Order 1988, Solvent Extracted Oil, De-
Oiled Meal and Edible Flour (Control) Order, 1967, Milk and Milk Products Order,
1992 etc will treated as repealed after commencement of FSS Act, 2006.
The Act also aims to establish a single reference point for all matters relating to food
safety and standards, by moving from multi- level, multi- departmental control to a
single line of command. To this effect, the Act establishes an independent statutory
Authority – the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India with head office at Delhi.
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and the State Food Safety
Authorities shall enforce various provisions of the Act.
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import to ensure availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption.
The Food Authority consists of a Chairperson and the following twenty-two members
out of which one-third shall be women, namely:-
(a) Seven Members, not below the rank of a Joint Secretary to the Government of
India, to be appointed by the Central Government, to respectively represent the
Ministries or Departments of the Central Government dealing with -
(i) Agriculture, (ii) Commerce, (iii) Consumer Affairs, (iv) Food Processing, (v) Health,
(vi) Legislative Affairs, (vii) Small Scale Industries, who shall be Members ex-officio;
(b) Two representatives from food industry of which one shall be from small scale
industries;
(e) Five members to be appointed by rotation every three years, one each in seriatim
from the Zones as specified in the First Schedule to represent the States and the Union
territories;
Any person who, whether by himself or by any other person on his behalf,
manufactures for sale or stores or sells or distributes or imports any article of food for
human consumption which is unsafe, shall be punishable,–
(i) where such failure or contravention does not result in injury, with imprisonment for a
term which may extend to six months and also with fine which may extend to one lakh
rupees;
(iii) where such failure or contravention results in a grievous injury, with imprisonment
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for a term which may extend to six years and also with fine which may extend to five
lakh rupees;
(iv) where such failure or contravention results in death, with imprisonment for a term
which shall not be less than seven years but which may extend to imprisonment for life
and also with fine which shall not be less than ten lakh Rupees.
3.14.5 Penalty for selling food not of the nature or substance or quality
demanded
Any person who sells to the purchaser’s prejudice any food which is not in compliance
with the provisions of this Act or the regulations made there under, or of the nature or
substance or quality demanded by the purchaser, shall be liable to a penalty not
exceeding five lakh rupees. Provided that the persons covered under sub-section (2) of
section 31, shall for such non-compliance be liable to a penalty not exceeding twenty
five thousand rupees.
Any person who whether by himself or by any other person on his behalf manufactures
for sale or stores or sells or distributes or imports any article of food for human
consumption which is sub-standard, shall be liable to a penalty which may extend to five
lakh rupees.
(1) Subject to the provisions of this chapter, if any person who whether by himself or
by any other person on his behalf, imports or manufactures for sale, or stores, sells or
distribute any adulterant shall be liable –
(i) where such adulterant is not injurious to health, to a penalty not exceeding two lakh
rupees;
(ii) where such adulterant is injurious to health, to a penalty not exceeding ten lakh
rupees.
(2) In a proceeding under sub-section (1), it shall not be a defence that the accused was
holding such adulterant on behalf of any other person.
As per new norms the Milk and Milk Products Order, 1992 shall be deemed to be
regulations made under this Act.
(1) On and from the date of commencement of this Act, the Milk and Milk Products
Order, 1992 issued under the Essential commodities Act, 1955 (10 of 1955) shall be
deemed to be the Milk and Milk Products Regulations, 1992 issued by the Food
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(2) The Food Authority may, with the previous approval of the Central Government
and after previous publication, by notification, amend the regulations specified in sub-
section.
In FSSAI, to harmonise the codex standards, "Codex India" the National Codex
Contact Point (NCCP) for India, has been constituted. This point is located at Food
Safety and Standards Authority of India (Ministry of Health and Family Welfare), FDA
Bhawan, Kotla Road, New Delhi -110002, India. It coordinates and promotes Codex
activities in India in association with the National Codex Committee and facilitates
India's input to the work of Codex through an established consultation process.
DC-5
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