Food Safety and Quality Bill, 2019

An Act establishes the National Food Safety Council and the National Food Safety Management Committee for the official control of food and feed safety, the obligations of food and feed business operators and defines the functions and powers of institutions of governments with the objective of ensuring that food and feed safety risks are effectively managed, and for related matters.
The primary objective of this Act is to provide the regulatory framework to (a) protect the health of consumers from hazards which may be present in food and animal feed; (b) establish the general principles of official control of food and feed safety, the obligations of food and feed business operators; and (c) define the functions and powers of institutions of Federal and State Governments with the objective of ensuring that food and feed safety risks are effectively managed and that food is of the nature, substance and quality expected by the consumer. This Act shall apply to commercial activities concerning the safety of food and feed affecting the health of consumers. The Act shall apply to all stages of production, processing, preparation, packaging, storage and distribution of food and feed commodities, which are undertaken in the course of a food or feed business. The control measures under this Act shall be applied in an independent, scientifically objective and transparent manner.
The Act further provides for principles of food safety; general requirements for food and feed safety and quality; registration and licensing of establishments; responsibilities of food and feed business operators; declarations and labelling; official control of safety of food and feed; official testing and reference laboratories; emergencies and crisis management; establishment, composition and functions of the National Food Safety Council and the National Food Safety Management Committee; powers and responsibilities of competent authorities; and nomination of competent authorities.