DINAKARAN NEWS

DINAKARAN NEWS

Functional foods will have to clear strict checks to hit market

NEW DELHI: Health supplements, nutraceuticals, probiotics and other functional food products will have to go through a stringent regulatory scanner and comply with specific norms before entering the market.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has come up with a gazette notification issuing benchmark standards covering as many as eight different categories of foods.

The regulations, in line with international food safety standards, make it mandatory for food business operators to declare essential composition of their products on the packaging. This includes a detailed declaration of nutrient as well organism content in products like nutraceuticals and probiotics.

Besides, the regulations also pertain to claims and labelling. For instance, these items that often claim health benefits will have to mandatorily differentiate themselves from pharmaceutical products by declaring on the label "not for medicinal use". Health supplements, on the other hand, will have to carry the words "health Supplement" on their label.

Similarly, FSSAI has also defined different categories and set norms for claims for each of the category. For instance, if a "nutrient content claim" is being made in case of food products falling under health supplement categories, the individual nutrient content shall not be less than 15% of the recommended daily allowance, as per the FSSAI.

Product approvals in future will be in compliance with the new regulations, an official said. The FSSAI has given a year's time to food operators to comply with the regulations, which will be effective from January 1, 2018.

The regulations assume significance with increasing number of functional foods entering the Indian market.

Seminar on food safety managment and chemical use

KOCHI, JAN 12: 

The use of chemicals in food items, especially for longer shelf life, has increased tremendously in the recent period and it can result in several health issues, said experts at a seminar organised as part of the seventh edition of FoodTech, the state’s premier food processing and packaging exhibition, here

Delivering a lecture on ‘the relevance of food safety management with special emphasis to HACCP’ (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points), N. Anandavally, HACCP Consultant, National Centre for HACCP Certification (NCHC) said that the eating habit of people have undergone tremendous changes and children spend maximum on food. “The use of chemicals in food items can result in brain related disorders among children. Though the law permits use of more than 3000 food additives, many food business operators use them above the permitted level.

In his talk on ‘Testing and evaluation of packaging materials and packages – overall standards of packaging’, Moses Malik of the Indian Institute of Packaging Chennai, said that packaging has become an integral part of food production. The packing should be decided depending upon the food as the most suitable material for protecting the food should be used for packaging, he said.

Earlier, C.N. Ravishankar, Director, Central Institute of Fisheries Technology, inaugurated the three-day exhibition. The exhibition is organized by Cruz Expos with the support of National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC), Kerala Bureau of Industrial Promotion (K-BIP), Coconut Development Board. Kochi,

Have ordered frozen chicken for all units of Army: Manohar Parrikar

"We have successfully supplied frozen chicken to 26 centres and now we have issued direction that in the next two years, FSSAI approved frozen chicken is supplied to all units," Manohar Parrikar.

Days after a video showing a BSF jawan alleging poor quality of food being served in border areas went viral, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar Thursday said that he personally monitors food being served to the Indian Army and has ordered “FSSAI-approved frozen chicken to all units”.

Asked about the BSF jawan Tej Bahadur Yadav’s video post on the social media, Parrikar, who attended a defence and aerospace seminar at the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, said, “I cannot say much because the BSF is under the home ministry. But for the last two years, for the Army, we have been continuously evaluating that whether satisfaction level for the food being served has increased or not. I am myself monitoring it.”

“The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) in 2012-13 had made certain observations in a report and we are improving it. We have successfully supplied frozen chicken to 26 centres and now we have issued direction that in the next two years, FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India)-approved frozen chicken is supplied to all units. This will automatically improve the quality,” he added.