Online Food Services Under FDA’s Stringent Scrutiny

According to a report by the New Indian Express, Maharashtra’s FDA (Food and Drug Administration) Commissioner Pallavi Darade said that the department is keeping a strong check on online food service providers. She said this on Tuesday while speaking at the CII Ice Cream Industry Conclave. Darade said that, “We are keeping a close watch on the online food business and has taken several steps to ensure compliance in the state.”

FDA Keeping A Check

Darade further said that, “In the last few months, we conducted raids at almost 350 outlets of online food delivery sources and found out that almost 112 of them are operating without licenses. Many of them are operating out of unhygienic places. We have filed 200 such cases against them.” She said that this would be beneficial in the long run for the consumers. “The Food Safety and Standard Act is relatively new and the number of regulations on the number of products have come in play as on 2011 and are at par with the world standards,” she added.

At the event, Devanshu Gandhi, the managing director of Vadilal Industries said, “Compare this with China at 3000 ml and the US at 22000 ml. However, with several favourable factors like affordability, increase in disposable income and booming middle class, this could soon change. The total advertising spends across various platforms is to the tune of Rs 60,000 crore, out of which the share of the FMCG sector is almost 30 per cent. However, ice Cream industry spends less than Rs 200 crore in advertising for its products,” he added reports the New Indian Express.