In March, the food safety department put a figure on food establishments in Chennai, including pushcart vendors, retailers, provisional stores, bakeries, hotels, restaurants, fruits and vegetable shops and units that engage in making sweets and savouries. Out of the 32,002, only 14,462 are certified by the department.

CRANKING UP THE HEAT

Commissioner of food safety P Amudha has given permission to proceed to crack down on establishments who do not apply for licences on or before December 31.

These establishments will be forced to pay a substantial fine or face imprisonment, with the government set to penalize those who have failed to obtain licences.

The Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Business) Regulations, 2011, mandates a licence for any food business, with an annual turnover in excess of INR 12 lakh. Those with a lower turnover must register with the food safety department. After eight extensions, the last deadline set by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) for getting licenses expired in August 2016.