Remove claim of ‘100% fruit juice’ from label and ads, FSSAI directs food businesses

Remove claim of ‘100% fruit juice’ from label and ads, FSSAI directs food businesses

Sub: Polity

Sec: National Body

FSSAI’s directive to Food Business Operators (FBOs):

• 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.

Details of the directive:

• All the FBOs have also been instructed to exhaust all existing pre-printed packaging materials before September 1.
• 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.
  • 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’.
• Cause for issuing directives:
  • FSSAI has noticed that several FBOs have been inaccurately marketing various types of reconstituted fruit juices by claiming them to be 100 per cent fruit juices.
  • 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.

Reconstituted fruit juice:

• Reconstituted fruit juices are those products in which a fruit juice concentrate is mixed with water to create the final product. A large number of commercially available fruit juices fall in this category.

About FSSAI:

• It is an autonomous body established under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.
• The FSSAI was established under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, which is a consolidating statute related to food safety and regulation in India.
• Vision: Build a new India by enabling citizens to have safe and nutritious food, prevent diseases, and lead a healthy and happy life.
• Mission: Set globally benchmarked standards for food, encourage and ensure that food businesses adhere to these standards, adopt good manufacturing and hygiene practices, and ultimately enable citizens to access safe and right food.
• Functions of FSSAI:
  • FSSAI is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the regulation and supervision of food safety.
  • It lays down standards and guidelines in relation to articles of food and provides for licensing, registration, and accreditation for food business operators.
  • Anyone selling or importing food in India needs a food licence issued by FSSAI.
  • FSSAI also directly monitors compliance of food regulations, especially in the area of food imports to India.
  • FSSAI officers carry out food import controls and ensure that the contain no harmful ingredients. To do this, they send selected test products from the import to accredited laboratories for inspection.
  • The FSSAI is also responsible for the accreditation of food testing laboratories throughout India.
  • The FSSAI is responsible for the Food Certification in India.
  • It is mandated to specify systems for enforcing its standards, for accreditation of certification systems, and for certification of food safety management systems for food businesses.

3. Structure of FSSAI

• Composition: Comprises a Chairperson and 22 members, with one-third being women.
• Appointment: The Chairperson is appointed by the Central Government.
• Support Structure: Assisted by Scientific Committees, Panels, and the Central Advisory Committee.
• Enforcement: Primarily enforced by State Food Safety Commissioners.

Initiatives by FSSAI

• Heart Attack Rewind: Campaign to eliminate trans-fat in India by 2022.
• FSSAI-CHIFSS: Collaboration for food safety between industry, scientific community, and academia.
• State Food Safety Index (SFSI): Measures state performance on food safety parameters.
• Eat Right India Movement: Aims to transform India’s food system for safe, healthy, and sustainable food.
• Eat Right Station Certification: Certification for railway stations providing safe and wholesome food.

Source: TH