PFA Act Full Form

The full form of the PFA Act is the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, an Act to make provisions for preventing food adulteration. To increase the quantity and lower the commodity's price, food adulteration involves the addition of contaminants into food products or beverages. It is a significant problem in India that affects food quality and causes severe infections in both people and animals.

It was vital to create legislation that could stop this contamination in order to address these issues. The rules against food adulteration have existed in India since 1899. States and provinces had their own laws and standards for preventing food adulteration because it was the pre-independence era.

Definitions

(i) Adulterant: Any substance that is or could be used to produce adulteration is referred to as "adulterant."

(ia) A food item is considered to be "adulterated" if it has been—

(a) If the vendor's product does not meet the buyer's expectations for nature, content, or quality or does not meet the claims made about it, it is to the buyer's disadvantage;

(b) if the article is treated in a way that damages its nature, substance, or quality or if it contains another substance that does so;

(c) if the article has been completely or partially replaced with an inferior or less expensive substance, harming the item's nature, content, or quality;

(d) if any component of the article has been completely or partially abstracted in such a way as to affect its nature, substance, or quality adversely;

(e) if an unhealthy animal provided the product;

(f) if the item contains a toxic substance or another component that makes it harmful to health;

(g) if the article's container is entirely or partially made of a poisonous or harmful chemical that renders its contents harmful to health;

(h) if the article contains any colouring other than that which is specifically prescribed for it or if the levels of the specific colouring inside the article exceed the permitted range of variation;

(i) if a prohibited preservative or an allowed preservative that exceeds the permitted limits is present in the article;

(j) If the article's quality or purity is below the required level or if one or more of its constituents are present in amounts outside the acceptable range but without endangering human health:

With the caveat that such an article will not be considered adulterated in the sense of this clause if its quality or purity, if it is the main food, has fallen below the established standards or if, in either case, the quantities of its constituents are present outside the established ranges of variability brought on solely by natural causes and independent of human agency.

Table of Adulterants

Explanation

when two or more primary food items are combined, and the resulting food item—

1. is packaged, offered for sale, or distributed under a name that indicates its ingredients; and

2. is not unhealthy; therefore, the resulting product will not be considered adulterated in the sense of this paragraph;

(ii) Any laboratory or institute established or specified under Section 4 is referred to as the "Central Food Laboratory";

(iii) "Committee" the Central Committee for Food Standards, established by section 3;

(iv) "Director of the Central Food Laboratory" refers to the individual appointed by the Central Government by notification in the Official Gazette to serve in that capacity, as well as any other individual similarly appointed to perform all or any of the Director's responsibilities under this Act:

With the caveat that no one with a financial stake in the production, importation, or sale of any food product may be appointed as a Director under this clause;

(v) "Food" refers to any item consumed by humans that is used as food or drink, excluding water and medications, and includes:

1. Any item that regularly goes into is utilised in, or is prepared concerning, human food,

2. Any matter that has flavour or condiments, and

3. any other item that the Central Govt may, having regard to its usage, character, content, or quality, declare, by notification in the Official Gazette, to constitute food for the purposes of this Act;

(vi) Any officer authorised by the Central Government or the State Government to exercise the powers and perform the duties of the Food (Health) Authority under this Act concerning such local area as may be specified in the notification is included in the definition of "Food (Health) Authority," which refers to the Director of Medical and Health Services or the Chief Officer in charge of Health administration in a State, by whatever title.

(vii) "local area" refers to any place, whether urban or rural, that the Central Government or the State Government has designated as a local area for this Act by notification in the Official Gazette;

(viii) About a local area, the term "Local (Health) Authority" refers to the official appointed by the Central Government or the State Government through publication in the Official Gazette to oversee the administration of health care in that area with any designation that may be specified therein:

Comments

(i) Since chilli powder was still deemed adulterated under sub-clause (m) of clause (a) of section 2 of the Act because its quantity and purity fell short of the required standard, even the addition of salt made it harmful to health. State of Assam v. Gauranga Aich, 1990 (2) FAC 41

(ii) According to clause (v) of section 2 of the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act of 1954, liquor (including country liquor) is a substance that is used as a drink and is intended for human consumption.

The Role of the Central Government

Except for water and drugs, the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act seeks to prevent the adulteration of food and beverage products suitable for human consumption. This legislation delegated to the central government a number of responsibilities, which are listed below.

• To establish a Central Committee for Food Standards and central food labs to analyse and test various articles.
• To go over the PFA act sections with the central council for food standards.
• Putting together training programmes for various parts of the act.
• The state PFA regulations are being approved.
• To monitor the application of rules in states and union territories through the collection of frequent reports and visits.
• To give approval to the infant food packaging.
• To inspect the quality of food brought into India.
• Increasing customer understanding.
• To monitor the number and efficiency of food laboratories.

Penalities

The vendor is subject to penalties for breaking the rules outlined in the legislation. Let's examine a few of those situations:

• When a vendor violates the legislation for the first time, theay may face up to a year in jail or a fine of 2,000 rupees. (depending on the situation).
• If you break the law a second time, you risk up to 6 years in prison and the loss of your licence.
• Under Section 320 of the penal code, the vendor may be held accountable when contaminated food poses a health risk.