The FDA has made it clear that there will be no exceptions made on food safety rules mandated for the city’s Ganesh mandals. Each one of the 12,000 public mandals, big or small, will have to register with the FDA, and maintain receipts for ingredients used to prepare prasad and community meals.Under the requirements explained to the mandals, food served as prasad will have to be sourced from registered FSSAI vendors. (HT Photo)The issue was discussed with representatives of Ganesh mandals at a meeting convened by FDA joint commissioner Parag Malawade and assistant commissioner Anupama Patil at the FDA’s BKC office on Tuesday.The decision has caused concern among mandals, particularly the smaller ones that rely on volunteers rather than professional caterers to prepare food. Satish Nayak, former trustee of the GSB Seva Mandal, said the mandals were willing to follow the SOP but had requested that implementation be postponed by a year to allow them sufficient time to put the system in place.Also Read | Karnataka FDA cracks down on illegal e-commerce pharma storage“Our request was not accepted,” said Nayak, pointing out that while the request letter was given to the FDA on August 12, the mandals were only summoned on September 8. “However, we will ensure that as many mandals as possible register this year,” he added.Under the requirements explained to the mandals, food served as prasad will have to be sourced from registered Food Safety and Standards Association of India (FSSAI) vendors. “Whatever food is given as prasad will have to be from a registered FSSAI vendor,” said Nayak. “We have to get a bill and the FSSAI certificate for the product, whether it is dairy, grains, vegetables or anything else.”Parag Nalawade, joint commissioner, FDA remained unavailable for comment.Girish Walavalkar, general secretary of the Brihanmumbai Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Samanvay Samiti, said the FDA had made it clear that smaller mandals would also have to comply. “They have told us that we should at least make a beginning,” he said. “The larger mandals have already completed their registration. For smaller mandals, a form has to be filled in and submitted online, along with details of the prasad being brought in.”Also Read | ISKCON restaurants face FDA heatThe documentation requirement will also apply when prasad is donated. “For instance, if an individual or organisation donates 50 kg of laddoos, details such as who provided them and where they were prepared has to be recorded,” said Walavalkar. “Even vegetable vendors have to give bills. Mandals can no longer accept food without proper documentation.”The FDA has clarified its position regarding food prepared by women’s self-help groups. Mandals sourcing food from them will only have to submit a copy of the group’s licence along with receipts and a declaration stating that the food was prepared by the group. According to Walavalkar, this will ensure that responsibility for the food remains with the group or person preparing it rather than placing the entire burden on the Ganesh mandals.Also Read | ‘Cascading effect on employees’: HC pulls up Maha FDA for not revoking licence suspension even after violations fixedThe meeting also saw discussions around traditional practices followed by certain mandals. The GSB Seva Mandal, for instance, citing religious traditions, sought an exemption from wearing trousers while serving food. The FDA has agreed to allow volunteers to wear the traditional solha, a garment similar to a lungi, while requiring them to follow other hygiene measures such as wearing caps, gloves and masks where necessary. Food handlers must also have valid medical certificates.