All Surat food processing units under municipal body's scanner

Food processing and selling activity in Surat has come under Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) scanner. Following a directive issued by the state government, firms in this trade in Surat, will now have to register themselves with the SMC. 

The initiative is being taken under the Food Safety and Standards Act. The commissioner of Food and Drug Control Administration has issued the directive to register. Firms failing to do so, will be penalised up to Rs2 lakh. Registration is mandatory for firms having a turnover of up to or more than Rs12 lakh.

Those who have to compulsorily register themselves with SMC include permanent stall owners, larri owners (vendors), food businesses operated from home, canteens operated from home, farsan stores, small retailers and producers, dhabas and those placing stalls at religious and commercial fairs.

"These people will have to procure a Rs100 form and submit it at their respective zonal offices. We will verify the information and once found true, will register them," said Hemant Desai, deputy municipal commissioner (health & hospitals). According to Desai, registration will help in checking illegal food business running in the city. It will also help the civic body in taking legal action against the wrongdoers.

A few firms have to register themselves at New Delhi. These include dairy units having production of 50,000 litre per day or 2,500 metric tonne per year, oil producing units having capacity of two metric tonne per day and meat processing units having production of 500 kg per day or 150 metric tonne per year.

Units with lesser production capacity will have to register themselves with the state government.

Sources within SMC said registration activity will take two months for implementation, as many legal formalities are yet to be completed like printing forms, issuing advertisements etc.