Acts regarding The Quality Control of Food and Drugs in India!
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is also responsible for ensuring safe food to the consumers. This is done through the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954.
The subject of prevention of food adulteration is in the Concurrent List of the Constitution. In general, the enforcement of the Act is done by the state/LIT governments. The Central government primarily plays an advisory role in its implementation besides carrying out various statutory functions /duties assigned to it under the various provision of the Act.
Four Central food laboratories have been established under the Act, which work as appellate laboratories for the purpose of analysis of appeal samples of food lifted by the food inspectors of the states/UTs and local bodies.
Food standards at the international level are set by the Codex Alimentarius Commission. India has participated in the meetings of this commission and has effectively advocated the stand of the developing countries regarding the process of standard setting so that their interests are kept in view.
An attempt is being made to harmonise to the extent possible the standards under the PFA Rules and Codex. A new Act-the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, was enacted by the Parliament in August 2006. The Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954 will stand repealed from the date the Food Safety and Standards Act comes into force.
In order to strengthen the food safety infrastructure in the country, a five-year World Bank-aided “Capacity Building Project for Food Safety and Quality Control of Drugs was also launched by the government. The project estimated to cost around Rs 354 crore was effective from 2003.
The Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, as amended from time to time regulates the import, manufacture, sale and distribution of drugs and cosmetics in the country. The Act prohibits the manufacture, import and sale of substandard, spurious and adulterated drugs. The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has the following functions- (i) controlling the quality of drugs imported into the country; (ii) coordinating the activities of drug control authorities in states/UTs; (iii) advising states/UTs on uniform administration of Drugs and Cosmetics Act; and (iv) laying down regulatory measures and standard of drugs.
The organisation also acts as the central licence approving authority in respect of blood banks, vaccine, sera, large volume parenteral (intrave­nous fluids) etc. Zonal offices of the CDSCO at Mumbai, Kolkata, Ghaziabad and Chennai and sub-zonal offices work in close association with state drug control organisations for enforcement of the Act.
The Central Drugs Laboratory, Kolkata is the appellate laboratory under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act. It tests samples brought in by the central drug inspectors. It also supplies reference standard of various drugs to drug manufacturers. The Central Indian Pharmacopoeia Laboratory, Ghaziabad analyses the samples of non-biological/biological drugs included in the Indian Pharmacopoeia.
The Cabinet approved the setting up of Central Drugs Authority of India as an autonomous organisation under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in January 2007. This decision will facilitate up gradation of national drugs regulator, uniformity of licensing and enforcement and improvement in quality and safety of drugs. Over a five-year transition period, the present system of grant of manufacturing licences would change to a complete central licensing of drug manufacturing units from State to the Union government.