Inspect tea factories instead of retailers for iron fillings but do not prosecute: FSSAI tells officials

New Delhi, Aug 26 (KNN) To check contamination of tea powder with iron filings, the Foods Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) has asked the Enforcement Authorities to carry out inspections in tea factories rather than the retail outlets but it has also asked the officials not to launch prosecution for non-compliance of limit of iron filings due to lack of method for analyzing iron limit.

However, the method of analysis for iron filings in tea is still under the consideration of appropriate authorities and would take little more time.

In the absence of any reliable method of assessing the tea samples, the FSSAI has asked Enforcement Authorities to carry out inspections in tea factories rather than in retail outlets etc to ensure that Food Business Operators (FBOs) involved in the processing or manufacturing of tea operate with the requisite equipment for removal of iron filings.

The Commissioner of Food Safety of all states and Union Territories not to launch prosecution for non-compliance of limit of iron filings for cases irrespective of the date of sampling due to the reason mentioned.

FSSAI had issued a statutory advisory in 2013 capped the maximum limit for iron particles in tea powder at 150 mg per kilogram. In the year 2016 the limit was raised to 250 mg per kg.

Iron fillings enter tea due to wear and tear of the processing machinery. The continuous presence of iron filings in tea has raised safety concerns and there have been many demands to fix an upper limit.

India is the second largest tea producer in the world after China. India produced 473.68 mkg against 451.83 mkg in Jan-June 2018, marking a gain of 21.85 mkg or 4.84 per cent. (KNN Bureau)