Govt preparing to launch ‘Smart Standards’ for packed food items

New Delhi, Aug 5: The central government is working on introducing ‘Smart Standards’ in relation to food quality of packed products and it is likely to be launched on October 14, which is the World Standards Day,  a top official of the Department of Consumer Affairs has said.

She said that in order to reduce the number of complaints, the government is supporting the industry.

“This is the first time that, under the Legal Metrology Act, we will be issuing Improvement Notices to manufacturers and retailers, giving them time to rectify minor mistakes before the case is taken up for compounding,” she added.

Speaking on standards, the official said the Department is working on introducing ‘Smart Standards’ so that they are accurate and machine-readable, thereby reducing the compliance burden on industry.

“We are trying to complete the process by World Standards Day on 14 October. This will bring India into the club of developed countries where standards are becoming smart standards,” she added.

She further said there is a need to increase the testing infrastructure in the country.

“We need to scale up our testing infrastructure to test more samples with greater accuracy and less human intervention. We are going to start using AI and robotics to enhance the testing infrastructure. This will also help bring down testing costs for MSMEs and enhance the accuracy and traceability of tests,” Khare said.