Through a notification dated 30 December 2020 the FSSAI has again extended the date for the compliance of Food Safety and Standards (Food Product Standards and Food Additives) Fourth Amendment Regulations, 2019 dated 30th October 2019 related to the standards of Packaged Drinking Water (other than Mineral Water).
FSSAI has drawn reference to the earlier notifications dated 7 January 2020 wherein the timeline for the compliance for the compliance of the provisions related to the limits of Calcium and Magnesium in Packaged Drinking Water (other than Mineral Water) was extended to 1 July 2020 and subsequently to 1 January 2021 through its direction dated 30 June 2020.
Now FSSAI has received representations from a section of stakeholders requesting for further extension of time for compliance of the above -mentioned provision. The request has been made as Food Business Operators are yet not prepared to comply with the provisions due to the lockdown which was implemented to check the spread of COVID-19 pandemic.
After due consideration of their representations, the FSSAI has decided to further extend the timeline for compliance related to limits of Calcium and Magnesium for the standards of Packaged Drinking Water (other than Mineral Water) up to 1 July 2021.
In the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Fourth Amendment Regulations, 2019, the FSSAI had made amendments under Beverages Non-Alcoholic-Carbonated (2.10.6) for the compliance of the provisions related to the limits of Calcium and Magnesium in Packaged Drinking Water (other than Mineral Water). According to the amended regulations mentioned above, dated 30 October 2019, under these regulations, amendments under “General parameters concerning substances undesirable in excessive amounts” the permissible limits for Calcium (as Ca) was amended to 20mg (earlier 75mg) per litre and for Magnesium (as Mg) it was amended to 10mg (earlier 30mg) per litre of packaged drinking water. Generally, FBOs that package drinking water add calcium, magnesium which could have got removed in the purification process. However, the amount of calcium and magnesium they add to the bottled water must be in compliance with the standards as prescribed by FSSAI.
Source FSSAI
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