As part of Mission Tandarust, Punjab Government on Saturday instructed all the district authorities to ensure that there is mandatory display of Food Safety Display Boards (FSDBs) at the places where the Food Business Operators carry on food business.
An official spokesperson of the Punjab Government said that under the existing provisions the Food Safety and Standards (licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011, it is mandatory to display the true copy of the license at a prominent place at all times within the premises where the Food Business Operator carries on the food business.
He said that it has been noticed that usually, the FSSAI licence number is not visible to the consumers. Thus, to change the overall consumer perception and to strengthen food safety, Punjab Government has directed the district authorities to ensure that Food Safety Display Boards (FSDBs) are being displayed by various food businesses operators in their jurisdiction.
The spokesperson said that Food Safety Display Board is covering important information like; FSSAI registration / licence number which the customer can verify at FSSAI website, basic food hygiene and safety tips to inform the customers and the food handlers about the important food safety and hygiene requirements, food Safety declaration indicating that the restaurant abides by regulations under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, consumer feedback system informing the consumer about various options for sending feedback to FSSAI.
About the usage of Food Safety Display Boards, the spokesperson said that FSDB are informative boards which primarily display food safety and hygiene practices to be followed by Food Business Operator in their establishment.
The FSDBs are colour coded for different kind of food businesses for ease of recognition by the consumers.
He said that colour code for the FSDB for Restaurant is Purple, likewise for Fruit & Vegetable Retail (Green), Meat Retail (Red), Milk Retail (Blue), Street Food (Purple), Retail Store (Grey), liquor Retail (Brown), Transport & Distribution (Navy Blue), Storage (Yellow) and for Manufacturing unit the colour code of FSDB is Turquoise.