For maintaining the nutritional security and the well-being of the increasing in the population ion India, meat is an important product in the food basket of the country. Therefore, knowing about the New Rules and Regulations by FSSAI for Meat Shop is essential. Quality meat production requires a clean environment for both meat production and processing. Minimum requirements for the quality of meat have been announced by the Food Safety & requirements Authority of India (FSSAI).

What is a FSSAI Registration?

• The standards for food produced and consumed in India are established by the Food Safety and Standards Act. 
• By granting FSSAI registration to different enterprises, the FSSAI Act regulates the production, storage, distribution, sales, import, and availability of healthful food and other topics pertaining to food and food safety.

Definition of Meat Products under FSSAI

Meat products by the FSSAI are defined as:

• Meat: The term “meat” generally refers to any part or portion of a mammal fit for human consumption including skeletal muscles, muscle tissues, connective tissues. That usually goes with such kinds of muscles, and any products or preparations made from meat.
• Poultry Meat:  It refers to the edible parts of domestic birds like chicken, turkey, duck, goose, quail and all the products that is derived from them. 
• Processed Meat: Any consumable flesh which has been modified using operation processes like cooking, curing, smoke, drying, misting and the like, or in a can is considered a processed meat. This consists of meat containing products like salami, ham bacon, and sausage production.
• Meat Products: This refers to food products that contain meat or are derived from poultry, and includes other types of processed products. Such products include meatballs, meat nuggets, burger patties, kebabs, sausages, frozen processed meat and meat products, ready for cooking and so on. 

Importance of FSSAI License for Meat Shop

According to the new directive, butcher shops and slaughterhouses must stop their operations immediately. However, such institutions may only open the operations after a set period and after receiving valid licenses and compliant with FSSAI guidelines. Legal action can be taken if anyone finds out that the shop is operating without license and authorizations. If you are running a meat store in India, you need definitely get an FSSAI license.

A store that collects ten animals or more in a single day is considered a meat shop under the FSSAI. All of these stores need to have new license or renew existing licenses in order to continue operating in accordance with the law. The FSSAI states that the following guidelines must be followed by all meat markets and slaughterhouses operating their business:

• To operate a meat shop, a store must apply for FSSAI registration.
• They must adhere to all guidelines and directives issued.
• In order to provide optimal hygiene, they must uphold animal welfare.
• The only animals that may be killed are fish, poultry, goats, sheep, pigs, and cattle. It is forbidden to kill other animals besides these.
• Animal transportation must adhere to proper safety standards while transporting the animals.
• It is imperative that current businesses undergo infrastructure modifications in order to uphold hygienic requirements. For this reason, every roadside meat shop has to close.

FSSAI Guidelines for Maintaining Meat Products

There are specific guidelines laid down by the FSSAI relating to the handling and preservation of meat which one must follow. They are as follows:  

• Meat that is fresh, needs to be refrigerated between 0 and 7 degrees, and the frozen meat needs to be kept at -18 degrees or lower.
• In order to maintain temperature control during storage, meat products need to be stored with appropriate labelling and segregation.
• Non-toxic materials must be used to make the containers for storage purposes.
• Sufficient water must be available, and facilities for the clean, safe storage of water must be in place.

Documents Required for New FSSAI License for Meat Shop

For a Food Business Operator (FBO), the following paperwork must be completed for a new FSSAI license:

• Form B needs to be filled out and properly signed by the designated signatory.

• If you operate a manufacturing or processing business, you must have a blueprint or layout plan of the space that shows the size in meters squared.
• It is necessary to have full information of the companies.
• It is necessary to have a complete inventory of all the tools and machinery that will be used to produce or process food.
• The approved signatories’ photo IDs and address proof has to be submitted.
• Submission of proof of ownership for the property, like a water or energy bill, sale deed, or rental agreement, is to be submitted.
• In a partnership firm, the self-declaration of proprietorship or the partnership deed is required. The following are the three crucial documents that must be submitted: the Incorporation Certificate, the Food Business Operation Authorization, and a list of the personal information of each director, partner, and proprietor.
• A copy of the certificate received under the Multi-State Cooperative Act of 2002 or the Cooperative Act of 1861, if a cooperative.
• Whole food safety management plan or certification
• The source of raw materials needs to be produced for meat markets or meat processing facilities.
• A no objection certificate from the state’s municipal corporation
• Certificate from the Ministry of Commerce
• Financial evidence supporting the annual turnover; 
• FSSAI-issued NOC; 
• DGFT-issued import/export code; 
• Form IX- Company nomination of individuals, including board members; 
• Declaration form

Documents Required for FSSAI License Renewal for Meat Shop

• Form B, completed and legally signed by the authorized signatory, 

• The declaration of the food safety management system, 
• The annual audit report, and the certificate, 
• Form IX- Company nomination of individuals with board members, and 
• The declaration form for the renewal of the FSSAI license.

Significance of Rules and Regulations by FSSAI

The FSSAI website has application forms and information that must be filled out, and a form requiring all paperwork to be presented to local authorities in between 15-day period. The officials will properly verify the documents when they are submitted. 

• Licenses will be refused if deemed to be negligent; if not, the FSSAI will award the license. The proprietors of the company need to abide by all rules established by the Food Authority Department in order to perform their business.
• A veterinary physician, the police, the food safety authority, and the municipal corporation would all perform inspections after the licenses is being issued. The source of animal procurement must be communicated by all butcher shops and meat markets.
• All of the laws and guidelines are in place to maintain safety and hygienic standards. Our lives are impacted by food. Eating clean and healthy food is of utmost importance to get rid of new diseases. 
• We don’t have many options like regular consumers to check the safety meter of a certain food product. 
• Therefore, the FSSAI helps us to perform this with relation to meat products. A food product carrying an FSSAI symbol signifies that the product has undergone scrutiny and is fit for human consumption. 

Conclusion

The aim of all the governing principles and standards is to ensure security and maintaining of hygiene standards. As new diseases surface, eating clean, wholesome food is becoming more and more important. As regular customers, we don’t have many options when it comes to check the safety meter of a particular food product. Therefore, we have groups like the FSSAI to help us with this, especially when it comes to animal products. A food product has been tested and certified for consumption if it contains the FSSAI seal.