The minute difference between FSSAI and AGMARK food certification is obvious. During the 1970s and 80s, the Indian government has taken an endeavor to make people aware of the AGMARK certification. The objective of the Indian government was to ensure consumers of both, the quality of the products as well as usage of Agricultural Mark Certification (AGMARK) for all agricultural commodities produced in India by fostering the advertisement of AGMARK certification on Doordarshan channel. The Directorate of Marketing and Inspection lends agricultural marks (certification) for all agricultural commodities that go through various inspections and pass the grading as well as certification tests.
Products that come under AGMARK:
The enactment of the FSSAI act in the year 2006 has given birth to FSSAI authority in order to monitor food quality as well as safety aspects in India and empower the food businesses of India with FSSAI License and FSSAI Registration. Certification of food products is mandatory conforming to FSSAI food quality standards. FSSAI Certification assures the consumers that food products are maintaining the best leading quality in the market, and they are free from adulteration.
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (Generally regarded as FSSAI) came into the food business in the year 2008 under the FSS Act, 2006 to certify all the food items and ensuring the consumers that food products are safe in all the way for consumption. FSSAI license keeps a check on the food items, whether they are in accordance with the food standards presented by the Ministry of Health and FamilyWelfare[1]. FSSAI license is mandatory for all the food business types.
Through this write-up, we are throwing light on the difference between FSSAI and AGMARK food certification along with other information related to both food certifications.
Comprehensive Difference between FSSAI and AGMARK Food Certification
The difference between FSSAI and AGMARK food certification is stated in the points mentioned below-
- The initial point of difference between FSSAI and AGMARK food certification is that FSSAI got set in the guidance of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, whereas AGMARK was a product of the Agriculture Produce Act of India for Grading and Marketing, 1937.
- Another considerable difference between FSSAI and AGMARK food certification is that FSSAI is an apex regulatory agency of government established for inspection whether the food products are as per the FSSAI standards or not while AGMARK acts a certification necessary for all the agricultural products produced in the geographical boundaries of India.
- Granting of FSSAI license is for individual corporations. All the food and restaurant businesses must have an FSSAI license for performing their business operations. There are three types of FSSAI licenses for food businesses in India-
- FSSAI Basic License
- FSSAI Central License
- FSSAI State License
Provisions of AGMARK certification is not for the individual farmer but only not for the product. AGMARK certification comprises 222 agricultural products under its wings. This certification is mainly concerned with Pesticide Residue, Aflatoxin levels, chemicals along with microbiological experiments.
- The basis of FSSAI license allotment is the turnover of the business and its activities. On the other hand, the allotment of AGMARK certification is on the basis of several inspections as well as analyses.
- Being a government authority, FSSAI looks after the approval process on its own. However, the Directorate of Marketing and Inspection in the Department of Agriculture gives approval to AGMARK certification.
- FSSAI, the food regulator, is responsible for covering all the food products. Moreover, It keeps tracking whether the food business operators are obeying the FSSAI standards as prescribed in law or not. In addition to this, certain products have to be in accordance with different provisions of law.
In the present time, AGMARK certification covers 222 agricultural items comprising pulses, vegetable oils, cereals, as well as several semi-processed goods.
Read our article:New Regulations of FSSAI Prohibit Plastic, Newspaper Packaging of Food
Responsibilities of Directorate of Marketing and Inspection for Agricultural Produce in India
The responsibilities of Directorate of Marketing and Inspection for Agricultural Produce is in the table shown below-
- To develop and strategize the quality standards for agricultural items
- To ensure that product is pure and is of superior quality
- To consolidate factors related to food safety into the standards
- To play the role of a third-party guarantor to quality accredited
Latest Update as on 30th May 2020
FoSCoS- A New Addition in the World of Food Businesses
On the 30th of May, 2020 Food regulatory authority, FSSAI, stated that it is launching its cloud-based food safety compliance system known as FoSCoS, i.e., Food Safety Compliance System as a replacement of existing food licensing and registration system. Stay tuned for more information on FoSCoS, a cloud-based online platform in one of the blogs.
Conclusion
The difference between FSSAI and AGMARK food certification is evident on various grounds. Formalities, as well as the documentation process of FSSAI license and AGMARK certificate, are entirely different. In brief, AGMARK is a certification mark for food products, while FSSAI is a regulatory agency of government. For assistance related to FSSAI License and any information on the difference between FSSAI and AGMARK food certification, you can contact our Corpbiz experts without any second thought.
Read our article:FoSCoS for FSSAI License in India: A Replacement of Food Licensing and Registration System
