Five sweet shops in Kashmir Division were awarded Hygiene Rating Certificates by Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). The rating of these Food Business Operators (FBOs) was awarded after Third Party Audit.
Srinagar: Five sweet shops in Kashmir Division were awarded Hygiene Rating Certificates by Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). The rating of these Food Business Operators (FBOs) was awarded after Third Party Audit was determined by FSSAI approved Food Safety Audit Agency, in collaboration with Food & Drugs Administration (FDA), J&K, in the year 2020.
Four Sweets Shops, AAR GEE Sweets, M/s Taj Bakers, M/s New Janta Bakery and M/s Shakti Sweets have been awarded with Excellent Compliance Rating, where as M/s New Mughal Darbar has been awarded with very Good Compliance Rating.
Shakeel Ur Rahman, Commissioner FDA, J&K, said that 30 additional Food Business Establishments, which includes 20 meat shops, are being assessed. He stated that the consumer has the right to demand safe, healthy food. The department will be collaborating with FSSAI under a MOU in 2021-22 to launch special awareness drives across all districts.
This scheme is expected to register 800 FBOs in the current fiscal year. The department has developed a comprehensive Action Plan and nominated Nodal officers for each division of J&K to ensure its complete implementation.
It is a win-win situation for all stakeholders because of the improved hygiene standards that reduce food-borne diseases, said the commissioner. All FBOs that fall under the category of fine dining establishments, cafes, restaurants, sweet shops, bakeries, and meat shops should opt for the voluntary scheme to reap its benefits, he advised.
Hygiene Rating, a voluntary scheme, encourages food businesses to ensure high standards of hygiene and sanitation and allows consumers to make informed food choices. This scheme is currently applicable to restaurants, cafes, fine diners, restaurants and other eating-places, sweet shops, bakeries and meat shops.
It is a user-friendly, technology-driven scheme that rates food establishments on a scale from 1-5. The symbols (Smileys) indicate where 5 represents Excellent Compliance and 1 indicates Poor Compliance of food hygiene and safety standards.
This hygiene rating certificate allows consumers to quickly check the hygiene rating of any restaurant or eating establishment and encourages FBOs to apply for it.
This scheme has a significant benefit for Food Business Operators that after achieving rating, less inspections of these food establishments are he. The scheme allows FBOs to get hygiene ratings of 3-4, this means that no inspections are required by the regulatory agency for 6 months. The same applies to FBOs with hygiene ratings above 4 and above; no inspections are required by regulatory authorities for one year.
The department further advises FBOs interested in enrolling for this Hygiene rating Scheme may contact the Nodal Officers on: Nodal Officer, Hygiene Rating, Jammu Division, Contact: 9469219438 Email: vermaanju5468@gmail.com, Nodal Officer, Hygiene Rating, Kashmir Division, Contact: 7006271211 Email: fsodilpazir@gmail.com.
