Over 500 F&B sector complaints logged with consumer commission

Bengaluru: The Consumer Affairs department received 533 complaints in the food and beverage (F&B) category over the last two years, the government said on Tuesday. The highest number of complaints came from Uttar Pradesh (112), followed by Rajasthan (88) and Himachal Pradesh (57). 

In a written response to the Rajya Sabha, the Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, B L Verma said that in cases where food samples are found to be non-conforming, penal action is taken against the defaulting food business operators. 

This comes on the heels of a recent notification issued by Food, Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) placing packaged drinking water under a ‘high risk food category’, mandating stricter regulatory controls and annual facility inspections.

“The Food Safety and Standards Act includes specific provisions for penal action concerning substandard food, misbranded food, and unsafe food. FSSAI through its regional offices conducts regular surveillance, monitoring, inspection, and random sampling of food products,” the response read.