Display ‘use by date’, name of caterer on prepared food: FSSAI tells airlines
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has asked airlines to ensure prepared food served on flights is properly labelled and display key information, including ‘use by date and time’ and the caterer’s name, among others. It also said flightkitchen operators and inflight foodservice providers must comply with the Food Safety and Standard Act and its regulations, including labelling norms.
It also directed airlines to ensure they comply with the licensing norms, especially when selling prepackaged food products and privatelabel products. This advisory follows complaints by several passengers that contaminated food is being served on airlines. This also prompted the FSSAI to pull up some airlines and caterers.
Passenger awareness
“The flight operators shall ensure the passengers are well aware of the FSSAI licence number of both the caterer/manufacturer as well as the flight operators, which are airlines. Basic details in case of prepared foods such as the name of the Caterer, FSSAI licence number, Date and Time of packaging, and Use by Date and Time, shall be ensured on the packaging along with the other details as applicable as per FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020,” the FSSAI said in an advisory.
Also, they must inform passengers that they can lodge foodrelated grievances on the FSSAI’s Food Safety Connect App. It said flight kitchen operators and inflight food service providers “shall comply” with the FSS Act, 2006 and Rules and Regulations, including FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020
Surveillance drive
The Authority also stated in its surveillance drive to inspect the supply chain of food served to inflight passengers, it observed discrepancies in the description of “Kind of Business” in the FSSAI licences.
“It has been observed that food is being prepared by Flight Kitchen Operators, which are caterers located in and around the vicinity of the airports and then transferred through specialised vehicles like insulated refrigerated vans/ wagons to the flights. In the flights, food is then served to passengers of that particular flight through the staff of the airlines, which is inflight food services,” it added.
The FSSAI has asked that flight kitchen operators describe themselves as “food services (caterer)” in terms of “Kind of Business” in their FSSAI licence applications. It added firms transporting food to the flights from flight kitchens must also obtain a separate FSSAI licence.
The Food Safety Authority also clarified airlines can obtain one FSSAI licence and not separate licences in different States. It added airlines selling prepackaged food should also indicate themselves as “retailer” in the licence”.
Food-related grievances can be lodged on the FSSAI’s Food Safety Connect App, says FSSAI
Manufacturing licence
“In case airlines get prepackaged food products manufactured or imported under their brand name, they shall obtain an appropriate manufacturing licence or Importer licence,” FSSAI added. It also noted airlines also need to obtain a separate FSSAI licence in case they are involved in storing food, among other things.
(The writer is with The Hindu businessline)