Through an order dated 24 February, 2020 the FSSAI has issued directions regarding the display of “Date of Manufacturing” and “Best before Date” for sweets.
There have been reports of instances where the sale of stale or expired sweets have been sold to consumers and this poses a potential health hazard. Therefore, the FSSAI is taking steps that will ensure that sweets sold in sweet shops or when pre-packaged, follow labelling norms so consumers can purchase sweets that are fresh and which will not cause health hazards.
In the case of pre-packaged or pre-packed sweets, the “Date of Manufacturing” and the “Best Before Date” must be mentioned on the labels of the packaging of the products. This must be in accordance with the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Regulations 2011.
Further, in public interest and to ensure food safety, the FSSAI has decided that in the case of non-packaged/ loose sweets, that the container or tray holding the sweets for sale at the sweet shop/ outlet should display the “Date of Manufacturing” and the “Best Before Date” of the products. This direction will be effective from 1 June 2020.
The onus will be on the FBOs to decide and display the “Best before Date” of sweets depending on the nature of the product and the local conditions. The FSSAI has also prepared an indicative list of self-life of various types of sweets in the Guidance Note on Safety and Quality of Traditional Milk Products which is available at the FSSAI website and for ready reference has been given below
Shelf life of sweets
The Indian sweets use a variety of ingredients such as khoya, ghee, flours, dry fruits, sugar etc. The shelf life of sweets depends upon the ingredients used. For example, the Khoya Burfi has shorter shelf life than Boondi Ladoo. In this regard, an illustrative list of sweets with their shelf life is given below:
Source: FSSAI
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