Selling/manufacturing sub-standard food: Any enterprise selling or manufacturing any food product, whether by themselves or on behalf of the seller/manufacturer, will be fined up to ₹5 lakh rupees if they store, distribute, or manufacture any article of consumable food product that is of sub-standard quality.

Misbranding of food products:

Any business selling or manufacturing food products, whether by themselves or on behalf of the seller/manufacturer, for storage, selling, or distributing a food product that is found to be misbranded, will be fined ₹3 lakh. In such cases, the adjudicating officer has the authority to order the guilty person to take corrective action.

Misleading information and advertising:

Any individual or business that deceptively describes a product or misleads consumers about the product’s quality or results will be fined ₹10 lakh. Unnecessary ingredients in food: Any food item that contains extraneous elements and is sold, stored, or distributed will be fined up to ₹1 lakh. Only the required additives and a proper composition should be present in the product.

Operating a business without a licence:

Any food business operator who tries to run a business without a proper FSSAI licence either directly or through someone acting on their behalf will be fined up to ₹5 lakh and imprisoned for up to six months. According to Subsection 2, section 31, some business owners are exempt from the mandatory licensing requirements.

Failing to comply with Food Safety regulations and directions of the Food Safety Officer:

Any food business operator who fails to comply with the fssai registration login rules and regulations, or the principles issued by such officer without giving any reasonable reason for non-compliance, will be fined ₹2 lakh.

Unsanitary conditions in manufacturing or processing units:

Any business that manufactures or processes food in unsanitary conditions, whether directly or indirectly, faces a penalty of up to ₹1 lakh.

Possession of Adulterant:

If a food business operator is in possession of any adulterant that is harmful to one’s health, the penalty is up to ₹10 lakh, the penalty is up to Rs 2 lakh in case the adulterant is not injurious to health.

Any Contraventions:

There is no specified penalty for this offence, but the penalty is generally up to ₹2 lakh.

Unsafe product:

Any enterprise either directly or indirectly uses hazardous food products, which results in:

1. Death – imprisonment of not less than seven years + fine of up to ₹10 lakh shall be imposed as a penalty
2. Grievous injury: A fine amount of ₹5 lakhs and 6 years of imprisonment as the retribution
3. Injury: Detention of 1 year and fine up to ₹3 lakh as forfeiture
4. No injury: Imprisonment of six months and a fine up to ₹1 lakh will be imposed as a penalty.

• Circulating false information: You may face jail time of up to three months, and a fine of up to ₹2 lakh will be levied on any business either directly or indirectly circulating false news.
• Interference of confiscated items: Any individual/business that tries to keep, release or fiddle with the seized entity will face imprisonment up to six months with a fine of up to ₹2 lakhs
• Obstruction or Impersonation of a Food Safety Officer without any reasonable excuse: In this case, the penalty is imprisonment up to three months and a fine up to Rs 1 lakh.
• Subsequent offences:

1. Recurrence lawbreakers will be sentenced with twice the penalty imposed the first time.
2. The licence may be cancelled.
3. If the offence is executed regularly, the punishment has to be routinely faced too.

Conclusion

Every person has a right to a healthy life, and every product fit for human consumption could perhaps meet the highest possible standards. Penalties and punishments are excellent way to prevent any potential irregularities. To encourage proper compliance, all punishable offences under the FSSAI carry severe penalties