FSSAI Directs Milk Producers and Vendors to Obtain FSSAI Licenses

In an effort to protect consumer health across India, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has recently issued an advisory mandating milk producers and vendors to get registered before doing any food business activities.

The advisory is meant for the milk producers who are not members of the dairy cooperative society and the milk vendors who are running their business without obtaining registration. All such milk producers and vendors are directed to get themselves registered with FSSAI to continue their business activities.

These directions come after the recent incidents of suspected milk adulteration in all states and union territories. Therefore, to prevent such cases, FSSAI said that strict compliance with the licensing requirement is needed.

The state and union territories will conduct special registration drives in their jurisdiction. The main aim of these drives is to make sure that all milk producers and vendors who are not members of cooperative societies obtain their registration certificate or license.

Further, the FSSAI has instructed the enforcement authorities, central licensing authorities and food safety officers across the country to ensure that the milk producers and milk vendors have a valid registration certificate or the FSSAI license. In case of non-compliance, strict action will be taken against such producers and vendors.

Additionally, the officers will also inspect milk chillers and storage systems to ensure that the milk is stored at the correct temperature. This will prevent milk spoilage and ensure that good-quality milk is supplied to the public.

There is already a special enforcement drive for milk and milk products. Authorities are directed to submit action reports twice a month, on the 15th and the 30th or 31st, to keep the central authority informed about the progress.