Scheme for Approval of Hygiene Rating Audit Agencies | 17 Dec 2020

Recently, the Quality Council of India (QCI) has come out with a scheme for approval of Hygiene Rating Audit Agencies (HRAA).

This move is a part of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India’s (FSSAI) Food Hygiene Rating Scheme.

Scheme for Approval of Hygiene Rating Audit Agencies:
- It will scale up the hygiene rating by increasing the number of recognised HRAA in the country.
- The recognised HRAA will be responsible for verifying the compliance with food hygiene and safety procedures laid by FSSAI and get hygiene rating.
Food Hygiene Rating Scheme:
- Initiated by the FSSAI, it is a certification system for food businesses supplying food directly to consumers, either on or off-premise.
- It aims to allow consumers to make informed choices/decisions pertaining to the food outlets where they eat by encouraging food businesses to improve their hygiene and safety standards.
- It is applicable for foodservice establishments (such as hotels, restaurants, cafeteria, dhabhas, etc), sweet shops, bakeries, meat retail stores, etc.

Quality Council of India

Set up in 1997, QCI is a pioneering experiment of the Government of India in setting up organizations in partnership with the Indian industry.
- Indian industry is represented in QCI by three premier industry associations namely Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and FICCI.
Its mandate is to establish and operate the National Accreditation Structure (NAS) for conformity assessment bodies and providing accreditation in the field of health, education and quality promotion.
Besides the role of putting in place the accreditation structure, it also promotes the adoption of quality standards relating to Quality Management Systems, Food Safety Management Systems and Product Certification and Inspection Bodies through the accreditation services provided by National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies (NABCB).