The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued a clarification on its order regarding requirement of Non-GM-cum-GM-Free Certificates to accompany imported food consignments, saying that the order is applicable from March 1, 2021.
The clarification reads, “The requirement of Non-GM-cum-GM-Free Certificate is applicable to the consignments which are dispatched from the exporting country on or after March 1, 2021.”
Further the clarification added that the tolerance limit for the ‘Adventitious Presence- AP’ of GMO at 1 per cent is permissible in imported food crop consignments.
Last year in August, the FSSAI had listed 24 crops imported in India to mandatorily declare Non-GM-cum-GM-Free certificate from January 1, 2021. In September 2020, the order was notified with WTO for comments. And, subsequently, the date for implementation is now moved two months ahead on March 1, 2021.
Under the August 2020 order, FSSAI had issued a directive for requirement of Non-GM-cum-GM-Free certificate accompanied with the imported food consignment.
The directive said that the framing of regulations related to genetically modified or engineered food, which is governed by the Section 22 of the FSS Act, is taking time and to ensure only non-GM food crops are imported into India, it has been decided that every consignment of imported food products listed by the FSSAI must be accompanied with a Non-GM-cum-GM-Free certificate.
According to the FSSAI, the directive was issued as per the FSS Import Regulations 2017, which is to ensure safe and wholesomeness of articles of food imported into India.
The crops include Alfalfa, Apple, Argentina Canola, Bean, Chicory, Cowpea, Egg Plant, Flax Seed, Maize, Melon, Papaya, Pineapple, Plum, Polish Canola, Potato, Rice, Safflower, Soybean, Squash, Sugar Beet, Sugarcane, Sweet Pepper, Tomato, and Wheat.
The food importers were asked to submit a detailed certificate declaring that the product is of Non-GM origin and does not contain genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) and also not genetically-modified along with the name and address of the exporter, manufacturer and consignee, description of the product, invoice, lot/batch number, expiry date, quantity, date of manufacturing or packing, and date of shipment and place, amongst others.
