New Delhi:

Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda on Monday asked food regulator FSSAI to sensitise consumers on different aspects of food safety issues and also promote healthy eating habits.

Mr Nadda stated this during his review meeting at Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) headquarters, according to an official statement.

“It is important to empower consumers and citizens on various food safety issues through evidence-based information. It is only then that our work will be accomplished in totality,” he said.

Underlining the critical role of food safety in the well-being of citizens, Mr Nadda urged FSSAI to sensitise consumers, industry and stakeholders on not only regulatory issues but behaviour change for inculcating healthy eating habits.

While regulatory issues are an important mandate of FSSAI, the objective of food safety can be fulfilled only with communication and sensitisation of the consumers on different aspects of food safety, he added.

“In a large country like India, different regions have varied dietary habits and preferences. Let us broaden our understanding of their behaviours. This will help us to frame our policies aligned with these diversities,” the minister said.

The Union Health Minister was briefed on various initiatives taken up by FSSAI by G Kamala Vardhana Rao, CEO, FSSAI.

While addressing the officials, Mr Nadda said, “Since my last visit to FSSAI in 2016, I have witnessed that FSSAI has taken a huge leap in all aspects”.

He congratulated FSSAI on this all-round development and for showing remarkable advancements in strengthening the food safety ecosystem, fostering behavioural change, and sensitising all stakeholders.

Mr Nadda also commended FSSAI’s leadership in areas such as millets and CODEX standards. He appreciated the initiatives to train and equip street vendors, stressing that empowering consumers is crucial.

“The issue of food safety is a huge responsibility on FSSAI. Let us become global leaders in this area,” Mr Nadda said.

The Union Minister also highlighted FSSAI’s contributions to developing global standards, establishing a robust testing infrastructure, and launching initiatives like the Eat Right India campaign.

He stressed on the importance of addressing emerging food safety trends, promoting sustainable farming practices, and leveraging technology to enhance food safety management.

The Union Minister highlighted the role of proactive communication with the industry and stakeholders. “Let us take a proactive lead and communicate with the industry and stakeholders and make them our partners in our healthy eating initiatives and efforts”, he asked FSSAI.

To ensure that all the states are brought on one platform of pan-India standards, it is important to assess their strengths, and limitations and challenges, Nadda said, adding that “let us understand their individual issues so that we can support them and strengthen their efforts”.

Senior officers of the Health Ministry and FSSAI were present at the meeting. More than 1,000 officers had joined virtually from the regional and branch offices.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

In a historic move, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has approved a proposal to make a bolder and bigger display of nutritional information regarding total sugar, salt and saturated fat on packaged food items, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) said on Saturday.

The proposal calls for packaged food items to carry the amount of total sugar, salt and saturated fat “in bold letters and relatively increased font size.”

The Ministry noted that “the information regarding per serve percentage contribution to Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) would be given in bold letters for total sugar, total saturated fat and sodium content.”

The decision that will amend the Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020 was taken in the 44th meeting of the Food Authority.

Regulation 2 (v) and 5(3) specify requirements to mention serving size and nutritional information on the food product label, respectively.

“The amendment aims to empower consumers to better understand the nutritional value of the product they are consuming and make healthier decisions,” the MoHFW said.

Healthcare and nutritional experts have been calling out the need to curb the intake of packaged food items, rich in sugar, salt and saturated fats — a major reason for the rising incidences of non-communicable Diseases (NCDs).

The proposal will enable “people to make healthier choices as well as contribute towards efforts to combat NCDs and promote public health and well-being.”

The FSSAI is also expected to share the draft notification for the said amendment in the public domain for inviting suggestions and objections.

Further, FSSAI has been issuing advisories from time to time to prevent false and misleading claims such as ‘Health Drink’, ‘100% fruit juices’, the use of the term wheat flour/ refined wheat flour, the advertisement and marketing of ORS along with prefix or suffix, nutrient function claim for multi-source edible vegetable oils etc.

These advisories and directives are issued to prevent misleading claims by FBOs, MoHFW said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Mumbai:

The FSSAI Western Region office has suspended the license of an ice cream manufacturer in Pune after a 26-year-old doctor from Malad West alleged that he found a human finger in an ice cream cone on Wednesday.

“The premises of the ice cream manufacturer have been inspected by a team of FSSAI’s Western Region Office and its license has been suspended,” said FSSAI in a reply to ANI

However, the report of the forensic lab is still pending.

FSSAI further said that the ice cream manufacturer who delivered the ice cream is based in Indapur, Pune, and has a central license as well.

“The manufacturer is based at Indapur, Pune and has a central license,” FSSAI said.

For further investigation team FSSAI has collected samples from the premises of the seller.

“The State FDA has also inspected the seller’s premises at Mumbai and samples of the batch have been taken,” the food safety body added.

According to Branded Ferro, the complainant, his sister visited him, and he ordered three ice creams from Yumno through a grocery app, which arrived at 10:10 pm.

In his Police complaint, he said, that as he took a byte from a cone he felt something unusual in his mouth and when he checked it properly then he got to see finger-like flesh.

Later, he clicked the picture and shared it on the Instagram page of the company.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Image used for representative purpose only.
| Photo Credit: G.R.N. Somashekar

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued a directive mandating all Food Business Operators (FBOs) to remove any claim of ‘100% fruit juice’ from the labels and advertisements of reconstituted fruit juices with immediate effect. All the FBOs have also been instructed to exhaust all existing pre-printed packaging materials before September 1.

“It has come to the attention of FSSAI that several FBOs have been inaccurately marketing various types of reconstituted fruit juices by claiming them to be 100 per cent fruit juices,” the statement said.

FSSAI noted that several FBOs have been inaccurately marketing various types of reconstituted fruit juices by claiming them to be 100% fruit juice. Upon thorough examination, FSSAI has concluded that according to the Food Safety and Standards (Advertising and Claims) Regulations, 2018, there is no provision for making a ‘100%’ claim. Such claims are misleading, particularly under conditions where the major ingredient of the fruit juice is water and the primary ingredient, for which the claim is made, is present only in limited concentrations, or when the fruit juice is reconstituted using water and fruit concentrates or pulp.

FBOs have been told to comply with the standards for fruit juices as specified under sub-regulation 2.3.6 of the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards & Food Additives) Regulation, 2011.

“This regulation states that products covered by this standard must be labelled in accordance with the Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020,” the statement said.

Specifically, in the ingredient list, the word “reconstituted” must be mentioned against the name of the juice that is reconstituted from the concentrate.

“Additionally, if added nutritive sweeteners exceed 15 gm/kg, the product must be labelled as ‘Sweetened juice’,” the regulator said.

FSSAI said it is dedicated to protecting and promoting public health through the regulation and supervision of food safety standards across the country.

(with PTI inputs)

As many as 25 samples from MDH have been lifted by FSSAI from their 11 manufacturing facilities. Image for representation purposes only. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Food regulator FSSAI has not found any trace of ethylene oxide in samples of spices of two major brands MDH and Everest that were tested in 28 accredited laboratories, sources said.

According to them, reports from six other laboratories are still pending.

Last month, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) started taking samples of spices in powder form of all brands, including MDH and Everest, from across the country in view of quality concerns flagged by Hong Kong and Singapore.

The Hong Kong’s Center for Food Safety (CFS) had asked consumers not to buy certain spice mix products of MDH and Everest, citing the presence of ethylene oxide beyond the permissible limit.

These products are MDH’s Madras Curry Powder, Everest Fish Curry Masala, MDH Sambhar Masala Mixed Masala Powder, and MDH Curry Powder Mixed Masala Powder.

According to sources, a pan India drive was initiated on April 22 through all the commissioners of food safety of states and Union Territories and regional directors of FSSAI.

Also Read | ‘Much ado about nothing’, says Govt., on spice export worries

It included extensive inspections of the spice manufacturing units and also sampling and testing of products manufactured for sale and distribution for consumption in the domestic market.

Sources said the samples of Everest spices were picked up from their two manufacturing facilities. As many as 25 samples from MDH have been lifted by FSSAI from their 11 manufacturing facilities, they said.

Each of the products sampled was analysed for compliance with various quality and safety parameters including pesticide residues. These samples were also analysed for Ethylene Oxide (ETO) at NABL-accredited laboratories notified by FSSAI.

The laboratory reports received so far were examined by the scientific panel at FSSAI and observed that the samples showed no traces of ethylene oxide, sources said.

Similarly, test reports of over 300 samples of spices of other brands were also examined by the scientific panel and those also conclusively indicated no presence of ethylene oxide, they added.

The scientific panel comprises eminent scientists from the Spice Board, CSMCRI (Gujarat), Indian Spice Research Institute (Kerala), NIFTEM (Haryana), BARC (Mumbai), CMPAP (Lucknow), DRDO (Assam), ICAR, National Research Centre on Grapes, (Pune).

The Spice Board has also issued guidelines to the spice exporters for using ETO as a fumigant for sterilising spices to deal with microbial contamination as per the standards of importing countries, sources said.

New Delhi:

Food regulator FSSAI has asked traders and food business operators not to use the banned product ‘calcium carbide’ for ripening of fruits.

In an official statement, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) said it has “alerted traders’/fruits handlers/Food Business Operators (FBOs) operating ripening chambers to strictly ensure compliance with the prohibition on calcium carbide for artificial ripening of fruits, particularly during the mango season”.

FSSAI has also advised Food Safety Departments of states/UTs to remain vigilant and take serious action and deal stringently against person(s) indulging in such unlawful practices as per the provisions of the FSS Act, 2006, and rules/regulations made thereunder.

“Calcium carbide, commonly used for ripening fruits like mangoes, releases acetylene gas, which contains harmful traces of arsenic and phosphorus.

“These substances, also known as ‘Masala’, can cause serious health issues such as dizziness, frequent thirst, irritation, weakness, difficulty in swallowing, vomiting and skin ulcers, etc,” FSSAI said.

Additionally, acetylene gas is equally hazardous to those handling it.

“There are chances that calcium carbide may come in direct contact with fruits during application and leave residues of arsenic and phosphorus on fruits,” the regulator said.

Due to these dangers, the use of calcium carbide for ripening fruits has been banned under the Regulation of the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011.

This regulation explicitly states, “No person shall sell or offer or expose for sale or have in his premises for the purpose of sale under any description, fruits which have been artificially ripened by use of acetylene gas, commonly known as carbide gas”.

Considering the issue of rampant use of banned calcium carbide, FSSAI has permitted the use of ethylene gas as a safer alternative for fruit ripening in India.

Ethylene gas can be used at concentrations up to 100 ppm, depending upon the crop, variety and maturity.

Ethylene, a naturally occurring hormone in fruits, regulates the ripening process by initiating and controlling a series of chemical and biochemical activities.

The treatment of unripe fruits with ethylene gas triggers the natural ripening process until the fruit itself starts producing ethylene in substantial quantities.

Further, the Central Insecticides Board and Registration Committee (CIB & RC) have approved Ethephon 39 per cent SL for the uniform ripening of mangoes and other fruits. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Food safety regulator FSSAI has started taking samples of spices in powder form of all brands, including MDH and Everest, from across the country in view of quality concerns flagged by Singapore and Hong Kong, a government source said.

“In view of the current development, FSSAI has taking samples of spices of all brands, including MDH and Everest, from the market to check whether they meet the FSSAI norms,” the source told PTI.

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) does not regulate quality of exported spices, they said.

FSSAI, which operates under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, takes samples of spices regularly from the market to check the quality of product sold in the domestic market.

Meanwhile, the Spices Board of India is looking into the ban imposed by Hong Kong and Singapore on the sale of four spices-mix products of Indian brands MDH and Everest, which allegedly contain pesticide ‘ethylene oxide’ beyond permissible limits.

“We are looking into the matter. We are at it,” Spices Board of India Director A B Rema Shree told PTI.

The companies could not be contacted immediately.

The Hong Kong’s Center for Food Safety (CFS) has asked consumers not to buy these products and traders not to sell, while the Singapore Food Agency has directed a recall of such spices.

These products are MDH’s Madras Curry Powder (spice blend for Madras curry), Everest Fish Curry Masala, MDH Sambhar Masala Mixed Masala Powder, and MDH Curry Powder Mixed Masala Powder.

On April 2, 2024, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India directed all e-commerce food business operators to ensure appropriate categorisation of food products being sold on their websites. Photo: X/@fssaiindia

The government has asked all the e-commerce companies to remove drinks and beverages, including Bournvita, from the health drinks category from their portals.

“National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), a statutory body constituted under section (3) of the Commission of Protection of Child Rights (CPCR) Act 2005 after its inquiry under Section 14 of CRPC Act 2005 concluded that there is no ‘health drink’ defined under FSS Act 2006, rules and regulations submitted by FSSAI and Mondelez India Food Pvt Ltd,” the Commerce and Industry Ministry said in an advisory to all e-commerce companies.

The order is dated April 10, 2024.

It said that all e-commerce companies or portals are advised to remove drinks and beverages, including Bournvita, from the category of health drinks from their platforms or sites.

On April 2, food safety standards regulator FSSAI directed all e-commerce food business operators (FBOs) to ensure appropriate categorisation of food products being sold on their websites.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has noted that instances of food products licensed under ‘Proprietary Food’ with the nearest category Dairy-Based Beverage Mix or Cereal-Based Beverage Mix or Malt-Based Beverage being sold on e-commerce websites under the category Health Drink, Energy Drink, etc, it added.

Watch | What are the regulations around misleading food ads?

On the 29th of April, the food safety and standards authority of India flagged 32 fresh cases of food business operators or food manufacturers making misleading claims and advertisements. regulators also stated that a total of 170 such cases have been reported in the last six months.

While the regulator did not take any names it stated that the violators include manufacturers of Neutraceutical products refined oils pulses flours milk products and ghee.

It asked them to refrain from making such claims and ads in the larger consumer interest and avoiding enforcement actions. This happened days after a social media influencer had made certain allegations against health drink Bournvita’s health attributes.

So, when can you call a produce ‘pure’, or ‘natural’, or ‘fresh’? We decode nutritional claims in food ads.

Read the full story here.

Reporting and presentation: Saptaparno Ghosh

Production: Shikha Kumari

The story so far: On April 29, the Advertisement Monitoring Committee at the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) flagged 32 fresh cases of food business operators (FBOs) making misleading claims and advertisements. They were found to be in contravention of the Food Safety and Standards (Advertisements & Claims) Regulations, 2018. As per the regulator, the cumulative count of such offences has shot up to 170 in the last six months. It urged FBOs to “desist from making any unscientific and/or exaggerated claims and advertisements to promote their product sales to avoid enforcement actions and in larger consumer interest.” 

What has been FSSAI’s initial response?  

While the food regulator did not name the violators, it confirmed that they scrutinised products in varied categories such as health supplements, organic products, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) products and staples, each endorsing certain health and product claims. The alleged violators include manufacturers and/or marketers of nutraceutical products, refined oils, pulses, flours, millet products, and ghee.

The cases have now been referred to the concerned licensing authorities to issue notices and subsequently, withdraw the misleading claims or scientifically substantiate them. In the event of an unsatisfactory response, the claims/advertisement would either have to be withdrawn or modified. Failure to comply with the provisions thereafter would invite penalties of up to Rs 10 lakh apart from stringent punishments including the suspension or cancellation of licenses for repeated offences.  

Making deceptive claims or advertisements are punishable offences under Section-53 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. 

Last month, an uproar ensued after allegations were made against health drink Bournvita. The FSSAI in a statement, without naming any entity, said the health benefits attributed to a product must be based on “statistically significant results from well-designated human intervention studies, conducted by or under the guidance of established research institutions”. They must be in consonance with principles of Good Clinical Practices (GCP) and peer-reviewed or published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal. 

The allegations, made by an influencer, were later withdrawn, with the company stating that the product adheres to a “scientifically designed formula made with ingredients that are approved for use and all ingredients are declared on the pack”. 

What have we recently observed in the food advertising ecosystem?  

Manisha Kapoor, Chief Executive Officer and Secretary General at the self-regulatory organisation Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) told The Hindu that food advertising has been a “fairly violative sector”.  

“Close to 788 ads that we processed against food advertising, about 299 are related to (non-disclosure by) food influencers. So, we still have about 490-odd ads where the content of what was being said in the ad was found to be misleading,” Ms Kapoor said.  

On which product category has the most number of violators, Ms Kapoor stated, “It is pretty much across all categories, I would not say that one subcategory is a dominant violator, it is pretty much spread across a bunch of different food categories and food.” 

What are the regulations for tackling misleading ads and claims?  

There are varied regulations to combat misleading advertisements and claims, some are broad, while others are product specific. For example, FSSAI uses the Food Safety and Standards (Advertisements & Claims) Regulations, 2018 which specifically deal with food (and related products) while Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA)’s regulations cover goods, products and services.  

Further, the Programme and Advertising Codes prescribed under the Cable Television Network Rules, 1994 stipulate that advertisements must not draw inferences that it has “some special or miraculous or supernatural property or quality, which is difficult of being proved.” 

FSSAI seeks that the advertisements and claims be “truthful, unambiguous, meaningful, not misleading and help consumers to comprehend the information provided”. Claims must be scientifically substantiated by validated methods of characterising or quantifying the ingredient or substance that is the basis for the claim.  

Product claims suggesting suitability for prevention, alleviation, treatment or cure of a disease, disorder or particular psychological condition is prohibited unless specifically permitted under the regulations of the FSS Act, 2006.  

When can a product be referred to as ‘natural’? 

A food product can be referred to as ‘natural’ if it is a single food derived from a recognised natural source and has nothing added to it. It should only have been processed to render it suitable for human consumption. The packaging too must be done sans chemicals and preservatives.  

Composite foods, a mixture of plant and processed constituents, cannot be called ‘natural’, instead, they can say ‘made from natural ingredients’.

What about ‘fresh’? 

‘Fresh’ can be used for products which are not processed in any manner other than washing, peeling, chilling, trimming, cutting or irradiation by ionizing radiation not exceeding 1 kGy or any other processing such that it remains safe for consumption with the basic characteristics unaltered. Food irradiation is a physical process that utilises a controlled amount of radiant energy to achieve effects like sprouting, delay in ripening, and killing of insects/pests, parasites and spoilage microorganisms.  

The regulations forbid the ‘fresh’ reference if the processing endeavours to achieve an extension in the shelf-life of the product (usually achieved through medium-dose applications for meat). Those withadditives (or subject to any other supply chain process) may instead use ‘freshly frozen’, ‘fresh frozen’, or ‘frozen from fresh’ to contextualise that it was quickly frozen while fresh. 

What about ‘pure’ and ‘original’? 

‘Pure’ is to be used for single-ingredient foods to which nothing has been added and which are devoid of all avoidable contamination, while unavoidable contaminations are within prescribed controls. Compound foods cannot be described as ‘pure’ but can be referred to as ‘made with pure ingredients’ if they meet the mentioned criteria.  

‘Original’ is used to describe food products made to a formulation, with a traceable origin that has remained unchanged over time. They do not contain replacements for any major ingredients. It may similarly be used to describe a unique process which has remained essentially unchanged over time, although the product may be mass-produced. 

What about ‘nutritional claims’? 

Nutritional claims may either be about the specific contents of a product or comparisons with some other foodstuff.  

Claims of equivalence such as “contains the same of (nutrient) as a (food)” or “as much (nutrient) as a (food)” may be used in the labelling provided that the amount of nutrient in the foodstuff is enough for it be claimed as a similar ‘source’ of the nutrient as the reference food; in other words, it provides equivalent nutritional value as the reference food.  

According to Ms Kapoor, most complaints of misleadingwere related to the nutrition of a product, its benefits and the ingredient mix not being based on adequate evidence.  

“A lot of claim data is to be based on technical data. For example, if you say, that there is Vitamin D in my product, we need evidence to substantiate that there indeed is Vitamin D in your product,” she says, adding, “then if you claim that Vitamin D in your product can also help reduce fatigue, improve stamina or another claim like that – then there needs to be enough literature to substantiate that the ingredient does what is being stated”.  

However, the Secretary-General elaborates, if the claim revolves around the composition of the product, saying that a product with all its elements achieves a certain outcome, companies needto provide clinical data about the outcomes pertaining to the control group, the administered group and the observed period of the claimed outcomes. 

Lastly, another important aspect of scrutiny entails the expectation from a consumer’s point of view. For example, a product may claim that it offers the same energy as a glass of milk. From a kilocalorie point of view, the product indeed offers the energy equal to the glass of milk – thus making the claim technically correct. However, Ms Kapoor states, from a customer’s perspective, ‘energy’ may imply the body’s ability to carry out certain tasks or be energetic and not necessarily the kilocalorie input.  

In such situations, the advertisement needs to be modified in a “way (that) a consumer would be able to interpret”.