Members of the Tamil Nadu Foodgrains Merchants Association (TNFMA) staged a statewide demonstration urging the Centre to scrap the Food Safety and Standards Act 2011 (FSSA).

The traders said that the proposed Act had several shortcomings, and clauses, which could not be complied with in practice.

They also alleged that the provisions of the law depicted small traders and vendors as criminals. It would also threaten the livelihood of small traders, they said.

Speaking to reporters at Madurai, S.P. Jeyapragasam, president of TNFMA said that natural variations in quality of agricultural produce caused by climatic changes all over the country would result in food products made from them as sub-standard as per FSSA.

He said The Act was part of the Government's attempts to allow foreign direct investment in retail trade through the backdoor, with provisions for jail terms.

It poses a threat to manufacturers of small food product and traders.