SRINAGAR: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has directed restaurants, food processors and other food business operators to immediately stop using rusted, corroded, chipped and damaged knives, blades and cutting equipment, citing serious risks of food contamination and public health hazards.
The advisory, issued on Monday, comes days after the food regulator instructed businesses to discontinue the use of staple pins in food packaging and forms part of a wider push to strengthen food safety standards across the country.
FSSAI said reports had emerged of food establishments using rusted, corroded, chipped, painted and otherwise unsuitable cutting tools during food handling, preparation, processing, slicing and packaging operations. Such equipment, it warned, could result in physical, chemical and microbiological contamination of food products.
The regulator directed all food business operators to use only food-grade and corrosion-resistant cutting equipment, replace damaged tools without delay, and ensure regular cleaning, sanitisation and sterilisation of food-contact equipment wherever required.
Citing the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011, FSSAI noted that all food-contact equipment and utensils must be made of food-grade, non-toxic and corrosion-resistant materials and maintained in a hygienic condition. The regulations also mandate regular cleaning and disinfection of such equipment.
Food safety experts have cautioned that corroded and damaged cutting tools can harbour harmful bacteria and may release metal particles into food during preparation and processing, posing potential health risks to consumers.
The advisory has been circulated to Food Safety Commissioners in all states and Union Territories, as well as FSSAI’s regional offices, for enforcement and compliance monitoring.
The latest directive comes amid heightened regulatory scrutiny of hygiene practices and food-contact equipment in food establishments nationwide, with authorities seeking to strengthen consumer safety and reduce contamination risks across the food supply chain.
