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Food testing & certification in India - Current scenario
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Wednesday, 29 June, 2022, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Ashwin Bhadri
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Food is obviously important and necessary. Our bodies need nutrients and energy to grow, be active and healthy, move, play, work, think, and learn. Healthy eating gives us these things. Therefore, the food we eat needs to be nutritious and secure.
To attain a world free of hunger and poverty on a global scale, it is necessary to satisfy the basic human demand for food safety. Food safety standards are the policies and practices that food producers, processors, retailers of food supplies, and consumers must adhere to in order to guarantee the hygiene and sanitary safety of their food.
The primary regulating body for food safety in India is the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). It was created in accordance with the 2006 Food Safety and Standards Act, which brought together many acts and regulations that had previously dealt with food-related issues under various ministries and departments.
The primary goals of FSSAI are to establish science-based standards for food articles, as well as to control the production, distribution, storage, and import of food goods. They also ensure that safe food is available for human consumption. According to FSSAI, producers, customers, and the government all have a responsibility to ensure the safety of food. Every person has a duty to make sure that the food they consume is wholesome and safe.
The FSS Act is overseen by the FSSAI and state food safety agencies, who also make sure that all food businesses, at all stages of the food supply chain, are in compliance with all applicable regulatory requirements. The legal basis for food business licensing and registration is provided by Section 31 of the FSS Act and the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011. These documents include details on deadlines and procedural requirements.
An FSSAI registration or licence is required for any food industry organisation. A licence can help a food business legally, build goodwill, maintain food safety, increase customer awareness, and support business expansion. Additionally, it aids in regulating the production, distribution, and sale of foreign commodities.
The Indian Government has been making efforts to promote food safety. Food safety in India is related to the Swachh Bharat initiative of the Indian government, which places a strong emphasis on cleanliness and hygiene. These are significant factors affecting food safety.
Recently, the FSSAI provided "Menu Labelling" rules to hotels and restaurants across the country, explaining the operation of the system to the food business operators. Menu labelling will make it possible to list information about a food item's pricing, serving size, and, for the first time, calorie count. This rule will be implemented from July 1, in all over India. It will initially apply to five-star hotels and eateries with more than ten outlets in their chain. In order to have India eat healthfully and be fit, the rule has been implemented as a part of "Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav."
The FSSAI has stated that commencing in 2022, Display of Information (Menu labelling) in Food Service Establishments would be vital for Food Business Operators (FBOs).
The fact that menu labelling is a relatively recent practice for restaurants in India has been taken into consideration by FSSAI. Additionally, the pandemic worries are still affecting the hotel and restaurant sector. FBOs will need some time to adjust to and adopt the new practices. The practise of menu labelling in a self-compliant manner, according to the FSSAI, requires that no sampling of the foods listed on the menu cards, boards, or booklets by FBOs be done in order to check or verify the corresponding declarations of calorific value and nutritional information until June 30, 2022.
FSSAI has also requested that food business owners carry rectifiable labelling information of imported food consignments at customs-bound warehouses, including the date of expiration, the best before date, and the percentage contribution of each serve to the recommended dietary allowance. According to the FSSAI's rule, this correction may be made by placing a sticker next to the main display.
The order states that the correction can be made at warehouses that are bound for customs by applying a single non-detachable sticker or by using any other non-detachable method next to the main display panel without changing the original label information in any way, prior to visual inspection or re-inspection by the authorised officer or his representative.
FSSAI claims that the decision was made to ease trade while guaranteeing the safety of the food imported into India. According to FSSAI, FBOs can also correct the recommended dietary allowance per serve percentage contribution based on the daily requirements for an average adult of 2000 kcal of energy, 67 grams of total fat, 22 grams of saturated fat, 2 grams of trans fat, 50 grams of added sugar, and 2000 mg of sodium (5 grams of salt).
Additionally, the expiration date and best before dates may be changed provided that they were supplied by the producers themselves and that the authorised officer has confirmed them.
Further, FBOs involved in the trade of vegan items have been advised of the Vegan Regulations by the Indian Food Authority, FSSAI, and requested to abide by them.
No vegan food products may be imported without accompanied by a certificate granted by the recognised authorities of the exporting countries in the format as stipulated by the Authority, according to the regulations, which also apply to domestic FBOs.
The definition of a vegan food according to the regulations is "the food or food ingredient, including additives, flavourings, enzymes and carriers, or processing aids, that is not a product of animal origin and in which, at no stage of production and processing, ingredients, including additives, flavourings, enzymes and carriers, or processing aids, that is a product of animal origin has been used."
Additionally, the FBOs must make sure that all production, processing, and distribution steps are planned to take the necessary safety precautions in accordance with Good Manufacturing Practices to prevent the unintended presence of non-vegan ingredients.
Additionally, following certification, every package of vegan food must bear the FSSAI's designated vegan food logo.
FBOs are now required by the FSSAI to include allergy information on food packaging labels if certain foods or substances, such as peanuts, tree nuts, gluten-containing cereals, soybeans, milk, eggs, fish, and others, were used in the production of the product.
The Regulations mandate a separate allergy notification even when ingredients in the dish could lead to cross-contamination. However, allergen data are not required for oils made from ingredients that cause allergies or even for unprocessed agricultural products. There were prior provisions in the labelling rules that permitted for warnings if certain components were used in the manufacturing of food, even though the option for allergy information is new to the labelling regulations.
FSSAI has also released an advice regarding the new SOP for applying +F endorsement for fortified food products in FoSCoS as well as a list of products that have been identified for +F endorsement in order to remove any ambiguity. To make it simple for the food businesses to identify their product, 82 products under several product categories were included in the list that are covered for the endorsement, including milk and milk products, edible oil, fortified fruit juices, cereals and cereal products, bakery goods, and salt.
Further, regulations on the use of recycled plastic as a food contact material have been released by FSSAI. In this context, the food authorities have prepared a proposal to change the packaging materials. Once it is published in the gazette, this draft would pave the way for the use of recycled plastic in accordance with the food safety and standards (packaging), amendment regulations of 2022.
In accordance with these requirements, goods made from recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) may be used for food product packaging, storage, transportation, or dispensing, as and when standards and recommendations are announced by the Food Authority.
A health star grading system will also be introduced by FSSAI for packaged food and beverage goods. A front-of-pack labelling system called the "health star rating" ranks the overall nutritional profile of packaged food and beverage goods. Companies will now rate each of their packaged food and beverage goods from one-half star to five stars instead of asking them to apply warning labels based on ingredients.
Consumer and health advocacy groups across the nation have, however, criticised the action. They contend that the health star rating system will not aid consumers who are trying to eat healthily and will further minimise warnings on packaged foods and beverages that are heavy in sugar, salt, and saturated fats.
(The author is founder and CEO of Equinox Labs)
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