The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued a set of guidelines regarding the recall of unsafe food products from the market, in a bid to ensure that a proper system is in place.
Reports suggest that the food safety regulator stated that the guidelines have been issued to help food business operators frame a proper recall plan and implement them when the situation demands.
Recall can be defined as an action to remove food products from market at any stage of the food chain, including that possessed by consumer, which may pose a threat to the public health or food that violate the Act, or the rules or regulations made thereunder.
As per the guidelines, FSSAI as outlined FBOs to follow 10 steps to carry out entire recall exercise.
The key steps are that FBOs need to set up a recall management team, inform the regulator, identify all products to be recalled, detain and segregate products to be recalled which are in the company's control besides verifying the effectiveness of the recall.
"The recovered product must be stored in an area which is separated from any other food product. Accurate records are to be kept of the amount of recovered product and the batch codes of the product recovered," the FSSAI said.
After recovery, products may be corrected or reprocessed before release to the market if it is fit for human consumption.
Otherwise the product is to be destroyed. The action to be taken on the recalled product should be approved by the competent Authority.
FSSAI further said the companies, which have produced unsafe products, should take steps so that the need for such recalls do not arise again in future.
