Food Authority FSSAI has decided to remove the validity clause for Food Safety Supervisor (FSS) Certificate and make it ‘perpetual’. The FSSAI in this regard has issued a notice saying that for the same kind of business the FSS Certificate will be perpetual in nature.
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“It has been decided that FSS Certificate will be perpetual in nature. However, if the food handler changes kind of business (KoB), he/she will have to undergo the FoSTaC training afresh and obtain a new certificate for the respective KoB,” reads the notice.
According to the Food Authority FSSAI, it has received many representations seeking the removal of validity of FSS Certificates.
“The matter was examined and considering the present training curriculum, the validity clause of FSS Certificate was removed with immediate effect for the food- handlers who continue to work in the same kind of business,” said Virendra Singh Shekhawat, manager, training, FSSAI.
Under the Food Safety Training and Certification (FoSTaC) large-scale training and capacity building programme for the food business was launched by FSSAI in May 2017.
Ashwin Bhadri, CEO of Equinox Labs, says, “I recommend all food business operators to conduct FoSTaC training sessions for their food-handlers. Earlier, the FoSTaC certificate was valid for 2 years. Now with the validity clause removed, FSSAI has decided that the FSS certificate will be perpetual in nature. Only if the nature of business is changed will the food-handlers have to undergo refresher training. The FoSTaC programme is aimed at creating a pool of Food Safety Supervisors, who are trained in good hygiene and manufacturing practices as per requirements of FSSAI.”
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India is a statutory body established under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India. The FSSAI has been established under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, which is a consolidating statue related to food safety and regulation in India.
