Vaccination of Food Handlers-FSSAI

FSSAI-Food Safety Standard Authority of India has been established based on FSS Act-Food Safety Act 2006 which is an improved version of PFA-Prevention of Food Adulteration Act 1955 in India. FSSAI has been working with improving food safety in India and it is essential for all the food industries in India to satisfy the requirements of FSS Act 2006.

FSS Act 2006, mentions some essential requirements for following personal hygiene in food industries. The list of points are

1.  Suitable aprons, head cover, disposable gloves & footwear are provided.
2.  Adequate facilities for toilets, hand wash and footbath, with provision for detergent/bactericidal soap, hand drying facility and nail cutter are provided.
3.  No person suffering from any infection or contagious disease.
4. Arrangements are made to get the staff medically examined once in six months to ensure that they are free from infectious, contagious and other diseases.
5. The staff working in such factory are inoculated against the enteric group of disease and vaccinated.
6. No employee of such factory who is suffering from a hand or face injury, skin infection or clinically recognizable infectious disease.

It is also further repeated in the gazzette of FSS Regulations 2011-part 3

Refer 10.1.3 page 94 of this document: http://www.fssai.gov.in/Portals/0/Pdf/Food%20safety%20and%20Standards%20(Licensing%20and%20Registration%20of%20Food%20businesses)%20regulation,%202011.pdf

But the problem is it is mentioned food handlers has to be vaccinated for enteric group of disease.

Find the list of enteric diseases

• Amebiasis (Entamoeba histolytica Infection)
• Botulism
• Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) and Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD)
• Campylobacter
• Cholera
• Chronic Diarrhea
• Cryptosporidiosis (crypto)
• Cyclospora cayetanensis
• Escherichia coli 0157:H7 (Ecoli)
• Foodborne Disease
• Food Safety
• Gastroenteritis (Viral)
• Giardiasis
• Helicobacter pylori
• Listeriosis
• Norwalk-like Viruses
• Salmonellosis
• Salmonella enteritidis
• Shellfish: foodborne diseases caused by Shellfish
• Shigella
• Trichinosis (Trichinellosis)
• Typhoid
• Ulcers (Peptic ulcer disease)
• Vessel Sanitation
  
  
  And it is not easy for a food industry to vaccinate all the workers with all the vaccines.
  We already request FSSAI to work with this regulation and give clear information to the food industries which disease vaccine is essential in India and which is more prevalent in India.
  
  
  Lets hope they will work on this issue and give a solution.