E-Paper
‘If there’s a will, there's a way': FSSAI CEO praises Maharashtra FDA's Tukaram Mundhe
FSSAI CEO Rajit Punhani said having a dedicated food safety commissioner in every state should now be considered a necessity.
Prefer HTon Google
Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner, Tukaram Mundhe, the man behind massive crackdown on food irregularities across the state, has been among the newsmakers for the past few weeks. Mundhe's efforts to fix the quality of what the public consumes have now been acknowledged and appreciated by FSSAI CEO Rajit Punhani.
Punhani in an interview said that Mundhe's actions showed “if there's a will, there's a way”, while he dismissed the perception that a posting with the food safety department is a "punishment posting". He said that food safety departments had historically not been given the importance they deserved.
‘Food safety not a punishment posting’
Punhani, while speaking to India Today, noted that a posting with the food regulatory departments was often seen as a ‘punishment posting’. "Many officers didn’t want to become food safety commissioners. Because no one paid any attention. We would rather be in health. You know, in health you have your doctors, your primary health centre. You have a system, an old system. It’s about maybe a hundred-year-old system," he was quoted as saying.
Also read: Expired curd, misbranded food items: K'taka officials raid 16 sweet units
According to Punhani, having a dedicated food safety commissioner in every state should now be considered a necessity. "Which is must now," he said when asked whether every state should have a separate food safety commissioner.
‘Enforcement drive helped raise public awareness’
The remarks from Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) chief come at a time when the FDA under Mundhe has launched a massive crackdown on food businesses, hotels, restaurants and warehouses across Maharashtra. The food regulatory body has already conducted over 3,000 spot checks since May, according to Bloomberg.
Mundhe has suspended food permits of four Pizza Hut outlets and has also targeted cricket clubs, hotels and well-known restaurants.
Also read: Everest banned from selling hing powder, food regulator finds product ‘sub-standard’
As he appreciated Mudhe's crackdown, Punhani noted that the enforcement drive had been carried out without an increase in manpower.
"You know, he has done it with the same team. It's not that more food safety officers have been recruited. So, if there's a will, one can do it with the same food safety officer, same number," Punhani was quoted as saying.
He said that the crackdown has increased public awareness about the importance of food safety departments and the importance of food safety commissioners in the states.
Why Tukaram Mundhe has been in news
While Mundhe launched a massive crackdown on food businesses across Maharashtra, he also sent notices to Bollywood actors Shah Rukh Kha, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff for participating as brand endorsers for Vimal, allegedly a tobacco product. In response to criticism of his action against celebrities, which said the notices were aimed at gaining publicity, he said that the notices were issued under an existing rule and not on his personal discretion.
Also read: Ecostani: FSSAI’s ‘weak’ label warning is welcome but will it reduce the intake of bad food?
In an earlier interview with news agency PTI, Mundhe had noted that regulations apply to everyone involved in creating, publishing or sponsoring advertisements and claims, noting that "everybody across the chain is responsible".
However, the Bombay High Court warned FDA officials of contempt action and even jail after rebuking them for taking a “pedantic instead of pragmatic view” while suspending the licences of five restaurants operating on the Mumbai Cricket Association premises.
“Do you feel you are a lord and you can do anything,” the division bench of Acting Chief Justice Ravindra Ghuge and Justice Gautam Ankhad questioned the FDA, HT reported earlier.
