NEW DELHI: Days after directing food businesses to stop using staple pins in food packaging, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has ordered restaurants, food processors and other food establishments to immediately discontinue the use of rusted, corroded, chipped and damaged knives, blades and cutting equipment.The advisory issued on Monday follows reports of rusted and damaged cutting tools being used in food establishments, raising concerns about contamination risks and hygiene standards. FSSAI said some food business operators were using rusted, corroded, chipped, painted or otherwise unsuitable knives and blades during food handling, preparation, processing, cutting, slicing and packaging operations. Such equipment can lead to physical, chemical and microbiological contamination of food, it warned.Food businesses have been directed to use only food-grade, corrosion-resistant cutting equipment, immediately replace damaged tools and implement regular cleaning, sanitisation and sterilisation procedures wherever applicable.The regulator cited provisions under the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011, which require food-contact equipment and utensils to be made of food-grade, non-toxic and corrosion-resistant materials and maintained in hygienic condition. Regular cleaning and disinfection are also mandatory under the regulations.Food safety experts said corroded cutting tools can harbour bacteria and may shed metal particles into food during preparation and processing.The advisory comes amid growing regulatory scrutiny of food-contact equipment and hygiene practices in food establishments across the country.The advisory has been circulated to food safety commissioners in all states and union territories and FSSAI’s regional offices for enforcement. It comes days after the regulator advised food businesses to discontinue the use of staple pins in food packaging over concerns that accidental ingestion could cause injuries to consumers.
