Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)has come fore with draft regulations to amend the Food Safety and Standards (Alcoholic Beverages) Regulations, 2018, which the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, with the previous approval of the Central Government, proposes to make, in exercise of powers conferred by clause (v) of sub-section (2) of section 92 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, (34 of 2006).
Notably, FSSAI has published the same as required by sub-section (1) of section 92 of the said Act, for the information of persons likely to be affected thereby and notice is hereby given that the draft regulations will be taken into consideration after the expiry of a period of sixty days from the date on which copies of the Official Gazette in which this notification is published are made available to the public.
The apex body of food safety has invited objections and suggestions, if any, to the Chief Executive Officer, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, Food and Drug Administration Bhawan, Kotla Road, New Delhi – 110002, or may be sent through e-mail at regulation@fssai.gov.in;
FSSAI has also mentioned that only those suggestions and objections will be considered which will come in the mentioned time period.
A quick look at the Draft Regulations;
- These regulations may be called the Food Safety and Standards (Alcoholic Beverages) Amendment Regulations, 2022.
- In the Food Safety and Standards (Alcoholic Beverages) Regulations, 2018, –
in Part 2, in regulation 2.8, in sub-regulation 2.8.1, for clause (i) the following shall be substituted, namely,-
- Single malt or Single grain whisky: Single malt or Single grain whisky is a distillate obtained from fermented mash that uses malted barley or malted/ unmalted grain, respectively, distilled in pot still only, and produced in a single distillery”.
- in Part 5, for the regulation 5.5 the following shall be substituted, namely,-
“5.5 Alcoholic beverages shall not contain any nutritional information on the label except energy content in K.Cal. Such declaration related to energy content shall be voluntary”.
Dr T. N. Bhavanishankar says
Liquor companies should be allowed to state on the label, proven health benefits derived from special ingredients added to the alcoholic product so that the consumers should be aware of such benefits and have their choice. It is in the interest of the consumers only.
It is proven scientifically proven that consumption of certain types of alcoholic products consumption in moderation has health benefits. Similarly, adding certain herbal extracts also has some health benefits derived from herbal extracts.