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FLRS to be launched in new avatar, rechristened FOSCOS, states Darade
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Wednesday, 20 March, 2019, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Khyati Das, Mumbai
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The food licencing and registration system (FLRS) will be unveiled in a new avatar and with a new name - Food Safety Compliance System (FOSCOS) - shortly. In order to give easy access to the FLRS, FSSAI, the country’s apex food regulator, has decided to make it more user-friendly. This was stated by Pallavi Darade, commissioner, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Maharashtra, at a technical seminar, which was titled Demystifying Regulatory Requirement and organised in Mumbai by Association of Food Scientists and Technologists (India) (AFST[I]), Mumbai chapter, in association with FSSAI and FDA Maharashtra.
She added that the rebranding of the FLRS system would be done soon, while the focus shall be on self-compliance, and stated that its rechristening as FOSCOS was a part of the plan for streamlining of the processes under the Food Safety and Standards Regulations, 2011, which have been created to lay down science-based standards for articles of food and to regulate their manufacture, storage and distribution import.
“The requirement under the Food Safety and Standards Regulations, to have a license or registration, was to ensure the availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption and food, I believe, is a vast and expanding sector and requires attention. Besides, the FBOs (food business operators) also need to be given a helping hand when it comes to compliance with the regulations,” Darade said, adding that the new online system will help the FBOs in self-compliance.
She urged the FBOs to get licenses, adding that there were a number of complaints about businesses running without licenses.
P Muthumaran, regional director, West and South, FSSAI, said that there should be a three-way strong connection between responsible FBOs, regulators and consumers for the smooth working and voluntary compliance rather than inspectors chasing businesses. He added, “A special drive for licencing, both at the Central and state levels, and registration is in the pipeline and it will be launched soon.”
Meanwhile, the seminar featured sessions on such topics as the mobile lab initiative by FSSAI, nutraceutical regulations, the recent amendments in FSSAI regulations, food labelling and the roles of FSSAI and state FDA in the regulatory mechanism.
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