Draft Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Amendment Regulations 2022

Draft Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Amendment Regulations 2022

Subject :Economy

Context:

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is proposing to bring in standards and labelling norms for traditional Indian sweets ( mithais) and namkeens.

Details:

Draft Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Amendment Regulations, 2022 proposes these standards.

About the bill:

• The draft regulation defines Indian Mithais as sweets and Namkeens as salty savoury products that are “traditional and innovative-based from Indian heritage and culture.
• It proposes standards for  categorising traditional Indian sweets into milk-based, non milk-based and composite sweets:
  • Milk based- mithais include milk-concentration-based, channa-based and khoa-based mithais.
  • Non-milk based traditional sweets refer to those that are grain-based, dry fruits, nuts and seeds-based mithais.
• The draft has also proposed standards for various categories of Namkeens including fruit and vegetable based, dry fruit and nut-based and composite products besides labelling norms.
• The draft regulation proposes that mithai packages should have the name of the product (such as Khoa burfi) along with relevant categories (such as khoa-based mithai) on the label .
• In case of milk-based mithais, the Food Business Operator will need to declare the percent and type of milk solids under the list of ingredients on the label.

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) 

• It is an autonomous statutory body established under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
• The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India is the administrative Ministry of FSSAI.
• The Chairperson is in the rank of Secretary to Government of India.
• Headquarters: Delhi.
• FSS Act, 2006 consolidates various acts& orders that had earlier handled food related issues in various Ministries and Departments, such as–
  • Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954
  • Fruit Products Order, 1955
  • Meat Food Products Order, 1973
  • Vegetable Oil Products (Control) Order, 1947
  • Edible Oils Packaging (Regulation) Order 1988
  • Milk and Milk Products Order, 1992
• FSSAI was established in 2008 and fully functional in 2011 after its Rules and key Regulations were notified.
• This marked a shift from a multi-level to a single line of control with focus on self-compliance rather than a pure regulatory regime.
• FSSAI has been mandated by the FSS Act, 2006 for performing the following functions:
  • Framing of Regulations to lay down the Standards and guidelines in relation to articles of food and specifying appropriate systems of enforcing various standards thus notified.
  • Laying down mechanisms and guidelines for accreditation of certification bodies engaged in certification of food safety management systems for food businesses.
  • Laying down procedure and guidelines for accreditation of laboratories and notification of the accredited laboratories.
  • To provide scientific advice and technical support to Central Government and State Governments in the matters of framing the policy and rules in areas which have a direct or indirect bearing of food safety and nutrition.
  • Collect and collate data regarding food consumption, incidence and prevalence of biological risk, contaminants in food, residues of various contaminants in foods products, identification of emerging risks and introduction of rapid alert systems.
  • Creating an information network across the country so that the public, consumers, Panchayats etc receive rapid, reliable and objective information about food safety and issues of concern.
  • Provide training programmes for persons who are involved or intend to get involved in food businesses.
  • Contribute to the development of international technical standards for food, sanitary and phyto-sanitary standards.
  • Promote general awareness about food safety and food standards.

List of Food regulations by the FSSAI:

• Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulation, 2011
• Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulation, 2011
• Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restriction of Sales) Regulation, 2011
• Food Safety and Standards (Contaminants, Toxins and Residues) Regulation, 2011
• Food Safety and Standards (Laboratory and Sampling Analysis) Regulation, 2011
• Food Safety and Standards (Health Supplements, Nutraceuticals, Food for Special Dietary Use, Food for Special Medical Purpose, Functional Food and Novel Food) Regulations, 2016
• Food Safety and Standards (Food Recall Procedure) Regulation, 2017
• Food Safety and Standards (Import) Regulation, 2017
• Food Safety and Standards (Approval for Non-Specific Food and Food Ingredients) Regulation, 2017
• Food Safety and Standards (Organic Food) Regulation, 2017
• Food Safety and Standards (Alcoholic Beverages) Regulation, 2018
• Food Safety and Standards (Fortification of Food) Regulation, 2018
• Food Safety and Standards (Food Safety Auditing) Regulation, 2018
• Food Safety and Standards (Recognition and Notification of Laboratories) Regulation, 2018
• Food Safety and Standards (Advertising and Claims) Regulation, 2018
• Food Safety and Standards (Packaging) Regulation, 2018
• Food Safety and Standards (Recovery and Distribution of Surplus food) Regulation, 2019
• Food Safety and Standards (Safe food and balanced diets for children in school) Regulations, 2020
• Food Safety and Standards (Foods for Infant Nutrition) Regulations, 2020
• Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020
• Food Safety and Standards (Ayurveda Aahara) Regulations, 2022
• Food Safety and Standards (Vegan Foods) Regulations, 2022
• Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (Transaction of Business at its Meetings) Regulations, 2010
• Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (Procedure for Transaction of Business of the Central Advisory Committee) Regulations, 2010
• Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (Salary, Allowances and Other Conditions of Service of Officers and Employees) Regulations, 2013
• Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (Transaction of Business and Procedure for the Scientific Committee and Scientific Panel) Regulations, 2016
• Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (Recruitment and Appointment) Regulations, 2018