
The FSSAI had published the draft regulations to amend the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011, in August 2019. After taking into consideration objections and suggestions received from the public in respect of the said draft regulations the FSSAI has now gazette notified the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Second Amendment Regulations, 2021. These amendment regulations shall come into force on the date of their publication in the Official Gazette and Food Business Operator shall ensure compliance to all the provisions of these regulations for all the products manufactured on or after 1st January, 2022.
The amendments in the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011 are as follows.
In regulation 1.2 under Definitions the FSSAI has added the definition for industrial trans fatty acids.
- “Industrial trans fatty acids” means all the geometrical isomers of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids having non-conjugated, interrupted by at least one methylene group, carbon-carbon double bonds in the trans configuration. It excludes trans-fatty acids from dairy, meat, fish and their products.
The second amendment is in regulation 2.3 Prohibition and Restriction on sale of certain products under sub-regulation 2.3.14, Restrictions relating to conditions for sale where the following clause (21) has been added to the existing clauses.
“(21) Food Products in which edible oils and fats are used as an ingredient shall not contain industrial trans fatty acids more than 2% by mass of the total oils/fats present in the product, on and from 01 January, 2022.”.
About artificial and natural trans fatty acids
Artificial trans fat are called industrial trans fat as they are manufactured industrially by a chemical process of partial hydrogenation or thermal treatments of edible oils containing unsaturated fatty acids, e.g. refining of vegetable oils and during the process of frying. Industrial trans fat are present in large quantities in partially hydrogenated vegetable fats (vanaspati, margarine and bakery shortenings). Trans fatty acid from partially hydrogenated oil is regarded as the worst dietary fatty acid per gram due to the role it plays in coronary heart disease. In prepared foods, trans fats are found in:
- Bakery products: Biscuit, fan, rusk, cake etc.
- Fried foods: Bhatura, poori, pakora, bhujiya, fried savoury mixtures (namkeens) etc.
- Re-heated oils: Small amounts of trans fats are also formed when the same cooking oil is used for repeated frying; not only at commercial outlets but even at household levels.
Recognizing the health hazards associated with consumption of industrial trans fats, FSSAI intends to eliminate trans fat from the diet in a phased manner by 2022.
The second major source of TFA is from ruminant fat which is a natural fat that occurs in the small quantities in meat and dairy products from ruminant animals, such as cattle, sheep, and goats. These trans fats form naturally when bacteria in these animals’ stomachs digest grass. Natural/ ruminant trans fat are not generally considered harmful.
Source : FSSAI
Leave a Reply