|
|
|
You can get e-magazine links on WhatsApp. Click here
|
|
|
|
|
|
FSSAI introduces stds for edible seeds, allows new additive for wine industry
|
|
Saturday, 06 June, 2026, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
|
|
Ashwani Maindola, New Delhi
|
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued a draft regulation introducing standards for edible seeds sold for direct human consumption, alongside a new additive allowance for the wine industry.
Titled the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Amendment Regulations 2026, the directive inserts a fresh sub-regulation to formalise standards for everyday healthy snacks under the category “Edible Seeds.”
The rule categorises these products into two primary groups, Edible Vegetable Seeds (such as watermelon, cucumber, muskmelon, and pumpkin) and Edible Oilseeds (including sunflower, sesame, and flaxseed).
According to the proposed draft, these seeds can be sold raw, roasted, coated, or salted, and can feature added ingredients like sweeteners, spices, and condiments.
However, the regulator has drawn a strict line on purity. To ensure consumer safety, all batches must be whole, clean, uniformly coloured, sufficiently dried, and completely free from rancidity, visible moulds, rodent contamination, living or dead insects, and added colouring.
The amendment sets in specific chemical and physical parameters that all manufacturers must strictly meet which include 'Moisture Content', capped at a maximum of 8.00% by mass to prevent spoilage, 'Free Fatty Acids', limited to a maximum of 1.25% on a dry mass basis to ensure freshness & prevent a bitter taste, and total organic or inorganic foreign articles must not exceed a strict 0.1%.
Additionally, the amendment introduces a shift for the beverage sector by updating Appendix A under Grape Wines. The FSSAI has formally approved the use of 'Potassium polyaspartate (INS No. 456)' as a permitted food additive in grape wines, capping its recommended maximum level at 100 mg/kg.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|