New Delhi, July 9 (IANS) Soft drink companies are openly flouting rules by not printing ingredients on glass bottles despite being asked to by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, an RTI activist said Friday.
Right To Information (RTI) activist Subhash Chandra Agrawal filed an RTI application with the food processing industries Nov 17, 2008, seeking to know if it was compulsory for soft drink companies to print ingredients on glass bottled drinks.
In a reply received July 7, after a delay of almost 17 months, the ministry said it was compulsory for the companies to print ingredients on bottled drinks from March 19, 2009.
‘None of the companies print ingredients on the refilled bottles despite the orders. Stringent action should be taken against those violating the rules,’ Agrawal said.
Taking note of delay by the ministry in providing information, the Central Information Commission (CIC) has slapped a fine of Rs.25,000 on the ministry’s information officer.
‘The Commission notices with concern that the ministry has held back the RTI application of the appellant for as long as 17 months and sought to absolve the issue by just issuing show cause notice to the Food Safety and Standards Authority,’ the CIC said in its June 14 order.
