Criminal Law GK - 10 Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, adulterant, additive, hazard, infant food, risk analysis, unsafe food, restriction of advertisements, licence, Powers of Food Safety Officer, Search, Seizure, Investigation, Prosecution procedure

SNo	Legal Term/Question	Answer
1	What is adulterant	As per Section 3(1)(a) of the Act in this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,- (a) adulterant means any material which is or could be employed for making the food unsafe or sub-standard or mis-branded or containing extraneous matter;
2	What is Claim	As per Section 3(1)(d) of the Act (d) claim means any representation which states, suggests, or implies that a food has particular qualities relating to its origin, nutritional properties, nature, processing, composition or otherwise;
3	Who is Consumer	As per Section 3(1)(f) of the Act consumer means persons and families purchasing and receiving food in order to meet their personal needs;
4	What is Contaminant	As per Section 3(1) (g) of the Act contaminant means any substance, whether or not added to food, but which is present in such food as a result of the production (including operations carried out in crop husbandry, animal husbandry or veterinary medicine), manufacture, processing, preparation, treatment, packing, packaging, transport or holding of such food or as a result of environmental contamination and does not include insect fragments, rodent hairs and other extraneous matter;
5	What is Extraneous Matter	As per Section 3(1) (i) extraneous matter means any matter contained in an article of food which may be carried from the raw materials, packaging materials or process systems used for its manufacture or which is added to it, but such matter does not render such article of food unsafe;
6	What is the meaning of food	As per Section 3(1)(j) Food means any substance, whether processed, partially processed or unprocessed, which is intended for human consumption and includes primary food to the extent defined in clause (zk), genetically modified or engineered food or food containing such ingredients, infant food, packaged drinking water, alcoholic drink, chewing gum, and any substance, including water used into the food during its manufacture, preparation or treatment but does not include any animal feed, live animals unless they are prepared or processed for placing on the market for human consumption, plants, prior to harvesting, drugs and medicinal products, cosmetics, narcotic or psychotropic substances: Provided that the Central Government may declare, by notification in the Official Gazette, any other article as food for the purposes of this Act having regards to its use, nature, substance or quality;
7	What is food additive	As per section 3(1) (k) of the Act food additive means any substance not normally consumed as a food by itself or used as a typical ingredient of the food, whether or not it has nutritive value, the intentional addition of which to food for a technological (including organoleptic) purpose in the manufacture, processing, preparation, treatment, packing, packaging, transport or holding of such food results, or may be reasonably expected to result (directly or indirectly), in it or its by-products becoming a component of or otherwise affecting the characteristics of such food but does not include contaminants or substances added to food for maintaining or improving nutritional qualities;
8	What is Food Business	AS per Section 3(1) (n) of the Act food business means any undertaking, whether for profit or not and whether public or private, carrying out any of the activities related to any stage of manufacture, processing, packaging, storage, transportation, distribution of food, import and includes food services, catering services, sale of food or food ingredients;
9	Who is Food Business operator	As per Section 3(1)(o) of the Act food business operator in relation to food business means a person by whom the business is carried on or owned and is responsible for ensuring the compliance of this Act, rules and regulations made thereunder;
10	What is Food Laboratory	As per Section 3(1)(p) of the Act food laboratory means any food laboratory or institute established by the Central or a State Government or any other agency and accredited by National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories or an equivalent accreditation agency and recognised by the Food Authority under section 43;

SNo	Legal Term/Question	Answer
11	What is Food Safety	As per Section 3(1) (q) of the Act food safety means assurance that food is acceptable for human consumption according to its intended use;
12	What is Food Safety Audit	As per Section 3(1) (r) of the Act food safety audit means a systematic and functionally independent examination of food safety measures adopted by manufacturing units to determine whether such measures and related results meet with objectives of food safety and the claims made in that behalf;
13	What is Food Safety Management System	As per Section 3(1) (s) Food Safety Management System means the adoption Good Manufacturing Practices, Good Hygienic Practices, Hazard Analysis and Critic.
14	What is Hazard	As per Section 3(1)(u) of the Act hazard means a biological, chemical or physical agent in, or condition of, food with the potential to cause an adverse health effect;
15	What is infant food	As per Section 3(1) (x) infant food and infant milk substitute shall have the meanings assigned to them in clauses (f) and (g) of sub-section (1) of section 2 of the Infant Milk Substitutes, Feeding Bottles and Infant Foods (Regulation of Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 1992 (41 of 1992), respectively;
16	Who is manufacturer	As per Section 3(1) (zd) manufacturer means a person engaged in the business of manufacturing any article of food for sale and includes any person who obtains such article from another person and packs and labels it for sale or only labels it for such purposes;
17	What is Package	As per Section 3(1) (zh) of the Act package means a pre-packed box, bottle, casket, tin, barrel, case, pouch, receptacle, sack, bag, wrapper or such other things in which an article of food is packed;
18	What is Primary Food	As per Section 3(1) (zk) primary food means an article of food, being a produce of agriculture or horticulture or animal husbandry and dairying or aquaculture in its natural form, resulting from the growing, raising, cultivation, picking, harvesting, collection or catching in the hands of a person other than a farmer or fisherman;
19	What is Risk Analysis	As per Section 3(1) (zn) risk analysis, in relation to any article of food, means a process consisting of three components, i.e. risk assessment, risk management and risk communication;
20	What is Substance	As per Section 3(1) (zw) substance includes any natural or artificial substance or other matter, whether it is in a solid state or in liquid form or in the form of gas or vapour;

SNo	Legal Term/Question	Answer
21	What is Unsafe Food	As per Section 3(1) (zz) unsafe food means an article of food whose nature, substance or quality is so affected as to render it injurious to health:- (i) by the article itself, or its package thereof, which is composed, whether wholly or in part, of poisonous or deleterious substances; or (ii) by the article consisting, wholly or in part, of any filthy, putrid, rotten, decomposed or diseased animal substance or vegetable substance; or (iii) by virtue of its unhygienic processing or the presence in that article of any harmful substance; or (iv) by the substitution of any inferior or cheaper substance whether wholly or in part; or (v) by addition of a substance directly or as an ingredient which is not permitted; or (vi) by the abstraction, wholly or in part, of any of its constituents; or (vii) by the article being so coloured, flavoured or coated, powdered or polished, as to damage or conceal the article or to make it appear better or of greater value than it really is; or (viii) by the presence of any colouring matter or preservatives other than that specified in respect thereof; or (ix) by the article having been infected or infested with worms, weevils, or insects; or (x) by virtue of its being prepared, packed or kept under insanitary conditions; or (xi) by virtue of its being mis-branded or sub-standard or food containing extraneous matter; or (xii) by virtue of containing pesticides and other contaminants in excess of quantities specified by regulations.
22	What is provision regarding Use of food additive or processing aid	As per Section 19 of the Act No article of food shall contain any food additive or processing aid unless it is in accordance with the provisions of this Act and regulations made thereunder. Explanation.-For the purposes of this section, processing aid means any substance or material, not including apparatus or utensils, and not consumed as a food ingredient by itself, used in the processing of raw materials, foods or its ingredients to fulfil a certain technological purpose during treatment or processing and which may result in the non-intentional but unavoidable presence of residues or derivatives in the final product.
23	What is the provision regarding packaging and labeling of food	As per Section 23 (1) No person shall manufacture, distribute, sell or expose for sale or despatch or deliver to any agent or broker for the purpose of sale, any packaged food products which are not marked and labelled in the manner as may be specified by regulations: Provided that the labels shall not contain any statement, claim, design or device which is false or misleading in any particular concerning the food products contained in the package or concerning the quantity or the nutritive value implying medicinal or therapeutic claims or in relation to the place of origin of the said food products. (2) Every food business operator shall ensure that the labelling and presentation of food, including their shape, appearance or packaging, the packaging materials used, the manner in which they are arranged and the setting in which they are displayed, and the information which is made available about them through whatever medium, does not mislead consumers.
24	What is the restriction of advertisement as to unfair trade practices	As per Section 24 No advertisement shall be made of any food which is misleading or deceiving or contravenes the provisions of this Act, the rules and regulations made thereunder. (2) No person shall engage himself in any unfair trade practice for purpose of promoting the sale, supply, use and consumption of articles of food or adopt any unfair or deceptive practice including the practice of making any statement, whether orally or in writing or by visible representation which - (a) falsely represents that the foods are of a particular standard, quality, quantity or grade composition; (b) makes a false or misleading representation concerning the need for, or the usefulness; (c) gives to the public any guarantee of the efficacy that is not based on an adequate or scientific justification thereof: Provided that where a defence is raised to the effect that such guarantee is based on adequate or scientific justification, the burden of proof of such defence shall lie on the person raising such defence.
25	What is the provision regarding import of goods	As per Section 25 No person shall import into India- (i) any unsafe or misbranded or sub-standard food or food containing extraneous matter; (ii) any article of food for the import of which a licence is required under any Act or rules or regulations, except in accordance with the conditions of the licence; and (iii) any article of food in contravention of any other provision of this Act or of any rule or regulation made thereunder or any other Act. (2) The Central Government shall, while prohibiting, restricting or otherwise regulating import of article of food under the Foreign Trade (Development and Regulation) Act, 1992 (22 of 1992), follow the standards laid down by the Food Authority under the provisions of this Act and the Rules and regulations made thereunder.
26	When Licence for Food Products business is Required	As per Section 31 of the Act (1) No person shall commence or carry on any food business except under a licence. (2) Nothing contained in sub-section (1) shall apply to a petty manufacturer who himself manufactures or sells any article of food or a petty retailer, hawker, itinerant vendor or a temporary stall holder or small scale or cottage or such other industries relating to food business or tiny food business operator; but they shall register themselves with such authority and in such manner as may be specified by regulations, without prejudice to the availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption or affecting the interests of the consumers.
27	With Whom application is to be filed	As per Section 31 (3) Any person desirous to commence or carry on any food business shall make an application for grant of a licence to the Designated Officer in such manner containing such particulars and fees as may be specified by regulations. (4) The Designated Officer on receipt of an application under sub-section (3), may either grant the licence or after giving the applicant an opportunity of being heard and for reasons to be recorded in writing, refuse to grant a licence to any applicant, if he is satisfied that it is necessary so to do in the interest of public health and shall make available to the applicant a copy of the order: (3) Any person desirous to commence or carry on any food business shall make an application for grant of a licence to the Designated Officer in such manner containing such particulars and fees as may be specified by regulations. (4) The Designated Officer on receipt of an application under sub-section (3), may either grant the licence or after giving the applicant an opportunity of being heard and for reasons to be recorded in writing, refuse to grant a licence to any applicant, if he is satisfied that it is necessary so to do in the interest of public health and shall make available to the applicant a copy of the order: Provided that if a licence is not issued within two months from the date of making the application or his application is not rejected, the applicant may start his food business after expiry of the said period and in such a case, the Designated Officer shall not refuse to issue a licence but may, if he considers necessary, issue an improvement notice, under section 32 and follow procedures in that regard.
28	What is the maximum period to issue licence	If a licence is not issued within two months from the date of making the application or his application is not rejected, the applicant may start his food business after expiry of the said period and in such a case, the Designated Officer shall not refuse to issue a licence but may, if he considers necessary, issue an improvement notice, under section 32 and follow procedures in that regard.
29	Is single licence is sufficient for one or more food articles or for different establishments in same area	Yes. It is not necessary to seek different licences
30	What is the ground for refusal of licence	The designated officer may refuse to grant a licence when satisfied that it is necessary so to do in the interest of public health and shall make available to the applicant copy of the order.
31	Should it be a speaking order	Yes. Reason is to be recorded while refusing the licence
32	Where to file appeal against refusal of licence	As per Section 31(8) appeal against the order or rejection for the grant of licence shall lie to the Commissioner of Food and Safety.
33	What is emergency prohibition notice and order	As per Section 34 (1) If the Designated Officer is satisfied that the health risk condition exists with respect to any food business, he may, after a notice served on the food business operator (in this Act referred to as an emergency prohibition notice), apply to the Commissioner of Food Safety for imposing the prohibition. (2) If the Commissioner of Food Safety is satisfied, on the application of such an officer, that the health risk condition exists with respect to any food business, he shall, by an order, impose the prohibition. (3) The Designated Officer shall not apply for an emergency prohibition order unless, at least one day before the date of the application, he has served notice on the food business operator of the business of his intention to apply for the order.
34	What are the powers of Food Safety officer	As per Section 38 (1) The Food Safety Officer may- (a) take a sample- (i) of any food, or any substance, which appears to him to be intended for sale, or to have been sold for human consumption; or (ii) of any article of food or substance which is found by him on or in any such premises; which he has reason to believe that it may be required as evidence in proceedings under any of the provisions of this Act or of the regulations or orders made thereunder; or (b) seize any article of food which appears to the Food Safety Officer to be in contravention of this Act or the regulations made thereunder; and (c) keep it in the safe custody of the food business operator such article of food after taking a sample; and in both cases send the same for analysis to a Food Analyst for the local area within which such sample has been taken: Provided that where the Food Safety Officer keeps such article in the safe custody of the food business operator, he may require the food business operator to execute a bond for a sum of money equal to the value of such article with one or more sureties as the Food Safety Officer deems fit and the food business operator shall execute the bond accordingly. (2) The Food Safety Officer may enter and inspect any place where the article of food is manufactured, or stored for sale, or stored for the manufacture of any other article of food, or exposed or exhibited for sale and where any adulterant is manufactured or kept, and take samples of such articles of food or adulterant for analysis. (3) Where any sample is taken, its cost calculated at the rate at which the article is usually sold to the public shall be paid to the person from whom it is taken. (4) Where any article of food seized under clause (b) of sub-section (1) is of a perishable nature and the Food Safety Officer is satisfied that such article of food is so deteriorated that it is unfit for human consumption, the Food Safety Officer may, after giving notice in writing to the food business operator, cause the same to be destroyed. (5) The Food Safety Officer shall, in exercising the powers of entry upon, and inspection of any place under this section, follow, as far as may be, the provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (2 of 1974) relating to the search or inspection of a place by a police officer executing a search warrant issued under that Code. (6) Any adulterant found in the possession of a manufacturer or distributor of, or dealer in, any article of food or in any of the premises occupied by him as such and for the possession of which he is unable to account to the satisfaction of the Food Safety Officer and any books of account or other documents found in his possession or control and which would be useful for, or relevant to, any investigation or proceeding under this Act, may be seized by the Food Safety Officer and a sample of such adulterant submitted for analysis to a Food Analyst: Provided that no such books of account or other documents shall be seized by the Food Safety Officer except with the previous approval of the authority to which he is subordinate. (7) Where the Food Safety Officer takes any action under clause (a) of sub-section (1), or sub-section (2), or sub-section (4) or sub-section (6), he shall, call one or more persons to be present at the time when such action is taken and take his or their signatures. (8) Where any books of account or other documents are seized under sub-section (6), the Food Safety Officer shall, within a period not exceeding thirty days from the date of seizure, return the same to the person from whom they were seized after copies thereof or extracts there from as certified by that person in such manner as may be prescribed by the Central Government have been taken: Provided that where such person refuses to so certify and a prosecution has been instituted against him under this Act, such books of account or other documents shall be returned to him only after copies thereof and extracts there from as certified by the court have been taken. (9) When any adulterant is seized under sub-section (6), the burden of proving that such adulterant is not meant for purposes of adulteration shall be on the person from whose possession such adulterant was seized. (10) The Commissioner of Food Safety may from time to time issue guidelines with regard to exercise of powers of the Food Safety Officer, which shall be binding: Provided that the powers of such Food Safety Officer may also be revoked for a specified period by the Commissioner of Food Safety.
35	What is the power of Power of search, seizure, investigation, prosecution and procedure thereof	As per Section 41 (1) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (2) of section 31, the Food Safety Officer may search any place, seize any article of food or adulterant, if there is a reasonable doubt about them being involved in commission of any offence relating to food, and shall thereafter inform the Designated Officer of the actions taken by him in writing: Provided that no search shall be deemed to be irregular by reason only of the fact that witnesses for the search are not inhabitants of the locality in which the place searched is situated. (2) Save as in this Act otherwise expressly provided, provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (2 of 1974) relating to search, seizure, summon, investigation and prosecution, shall apply, as far as may be, to all action taken by the Food Safety Officer under this Act.