Position of FSSAI on the use of identical flavours in Alcoholic Beverages
533 consumer complaints registered under food and beverages category in the consumer commissions during last two years The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) established in 2008 under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, sets science-based standards for food articles and regulates their manufacture, storage, distribution, sale, and import to ensure the availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption.
FSSAI Takes Action Against Substandard, Misbranded, and Unsafe Food
The Food Safety and Standards Act includes specific provisions for penal action concerning substandard food, misbranded food, and unsafe food.”FSSAI regularly conducts surveillance, monitoring, inspection, and random sampling of food products, including milk, milk products, and baby food, through its regional offices and State/Union Territories. When food samples fail to conform, FSSAI penalizes the defaulting Food Business Operators according to the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, Rules, and Regulations.” Further, to extend reach of basic testing facilities even in remote areas, FSSAI has provided mobile food testing labs called Food Safety on Wheels (FSWs).
Food & Beverages : Punishment for Adulterated or Spurious Goods
Section 90 and 91 of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 provide for punishment for manufacturing for sale or for storing or selling or for distributing or importing any product containing an adulterant or spurious goods, which includes imprisonment or fine depending on the extent of injury to the consumer.
The details of the consumer complaints registered under food and beverages category in the consumer commissions during last two years are as below:-
| Name of the State/UT | Number of complaints registered |
| Andhra Pradesh | 17 |
| Assam | 3 |
| Bihar | 16 |
| Chandigarh | 4 |
| Chhattisgarh | 10 |
| Delhi | 28 |
| Gujarat | 16 |
| Haryana | 57 |
| Himachal Pradesh | 5 |
| Jammu and Kashmir | 1 |
| Jharkhand | 2 |
| Karnataka | 6 |
| Kerala | 51 |
| Madhya Pradesh | 8 |
| Maharashtra | 7 |
| Odisha | 15 |
| Puducherry | 9 |
| Punjab | 12 |
| Rajasthan | 88 |
| Tamil Nadu | 30 |
| Telangana | 20 |
| Uttar Pradesh | 112 |
| Uttarakhand | 4 |
| West Bengal | 12 |
| TOTAL | 533 |
Under the Consumer Protection (Consumer Disputes Redressal Commissions) Rules, 2020, framed under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, consumers do not have to pay a fee for filing complaints where the value of goods or services paid as consideration is up to Rs. 5,00,000.
E-daakhil portal launched for online filing of consumer complaints
E-daakhil portal has also been launched for online filing of consumer complaints. Besides physical hearing, video conferencing facility has also been provided at National and State level Consumer Commissions.
“Further, under Section 38(7) of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, authorities must dispose of every complaint as expeditiously as possible. They will make every effort to decide the complaint within three months from the date the opposite party receives the notice, if the complaint does not require analysis or testing of commodities. “The commission will make the decision within five months if the complaint requires analysis or testing of commodities.”
“Consumer Protection Act Limits Adjournments to Ensure Speedy Justice: BL Verma
To serve the interest of speedy justice for end consumers, the Consumer Protection Act states that consumer commissions will ordinarily not grant adjournments unless the party shows sufficient cause, and the Commission records the reasons for granting the adjournment in writing.
Union Minister of State for the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution, Shri BL Verma, provided this information in a written reply today in the Rajya Sabha.
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