FSSAI Extends Timeline for Renewal of Licenses for Formulated Supplements for Children

The FSSAI has issued directions on 21 February 2020 which is related to the extension of time for the compliance of Standards of Formulated Supplements for Children and issues of their license.

Drawing reference of the direction issued on 18 October 2019, wherein the FSSAI had directed that henceforth no license would be issued for Proprietary Foods under the category 13.2 (Complementary foods for older infants and young children).  Accordingly, the Food Business Operators (FBOs) who already had licenses under this category, prior to the 18 October 2019 directions, had been advised by the FSSAI to get their existing licenses modified as early as possible, but mandatorily before the renewal of their existing licenses.

FSSAI has since received various representations from stakeholders requesting for the extension of time for compliance of the modifying license. The FSSAI had earlier directed the licensing authorities to ensure that henceforth no license is issued or renewed to proprietary food products which are under the food category 13.2.

Now the FBOs have represented that those who already have licenses under Proprietary food category require transition time for modifying their existing license as they would need to reformulate any such products. Further, the FBOs also have an existing inventory with them, which if not utilised may lead to losses in the industry.

FSSAI has taken into consideration the representation of the FBOs and has decided to partially modify the previous directions so as to allow time for the renewal of the existing licenses for Proprietary category for such products till 30 June 2020. However, those affected FBOs will have to modify their existing license accordingly before the next renewal so as to comply with the standards prescribed for Formulated Supplements for Children. 

The FSSAI had notified the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Eleventh Amendment Regulations, 2018 which had specified the standards for Formulated Supplements for Children under the regulation CEREALS AND CEREAL PRODUCTS (2.4) in the category MALTED AND MALT BASED FOODS

Source: FSSAI