Through a notification dated 5 September 2016 the FSSAI has made amendments to the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulation, 2011. These amendments will come into force on their publication in the Official Gazette and Food Business Operators will have to comply with these amendments on or after 1 July 2017. These amendments will be called the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Seventh Amendment Regulations, 2016
The amendments have been made in the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011, relating to SUBSTANCES ADDED TO FOOD (Chapter 3) Given below is a gist of the amended regulations.
FSSAI has made some substitutions in the regulations dealing with FOOD ADDITIVES. In the amendment the FSSAI has defined food additives as any substance not normally consumed as a food by itself and not normally used as atypical ingredient of the food, whether or not it has nutritive value. The intentional addition of food additives to food can be made for a technological (including organoleptic) purpose in the manufacture, processing, preparation, treatment, packing, packaging, transport or holding of such food and does not include contaminants or substances added to food for maintaining or improving nutritional qualities.
- Additives listed in the amended regulations are suitable for use in foods and have been so assigned keeping in mind Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) and are safe or technologically justified.
- Additives may be used only in those foods if they have been previously permitted or not by the Food Safety and Standards (Food Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011
- The food categories of individual foods where the food additives are not permitted to be used or restricted are also defined in these regulations
- The food additives need to be used according to Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), which means that no matter for what purpose it is used in the manufacturing, processing or packaging of a food and which is not intended to accomplish any physical, or other technical effect in the food itself will be used minimally. The additive must be food grade quality and be prepared and handled as a food ingredient. Food additives should at all times conform to the applicable Specifications of Identity and Purity recommended under these regulations and must be safe.
Justification of Food Additives
Food Additives may be used only when such use has an advantage, does not present an appreciable health risk to consumers, does not mislead the consumer, and serves one or more of the technological functions which are to
- preserve the nutritional quality of the food, an intentional reduction in the nutritional quality of a food shall be justified only in those circumstances dealt with in the regulation
- provide necessary ingredients or constituents for foods manufactured for groups of consumers having special dietary needs
- enhance the keeping quality or stability of a food or to improve its organoleptic properties, provided that it does not change the nature, substance or quality of the food so as to deceive the consumer
- aid in the manufacture, processing, preparation, treatment, packing, transport or storage of food, provided that the additive is not used to disguise the effects of the use of faulty raw materials or of undesirable (including unhygienic) practices or techniques during the course of any of these activities
Carry-Over of Food Additives into Foods
- Carry-over Food Additives are those that come from ingredients and raw materials but not from direct addition. Carry-over food additive is acceptable for use in the raw materials or other ingredients (including food additives) provided it does not exceed the maximum use level specified in these regulations. The food into which the additive is carried must not contain the additive in a quantity greater than that which is introduced by the use of raw materials, or ingredients.
- Special conditions applying to the use of Food Additives not directly authorised in food ingredients and raw materials can be used if it is used exclusively in the food and any maximum level applying to the food is not exceeded.
- Carry-over of Food Additives from a raw material or ingredient shall not be permissible for
- infant formulae, follow-up formulae, and formulae for special medical purposes for infants
- complementary foods for infants and young children
Food Categories
Food additives are permitted in the following food categories and the FSSAI has defined each category of food separately. If an additive is permitted in the general category then it will be permitted for use in all the subcategories.
- Dairy products and analogues includes milk and dairy based drinks, fermented and renneted milk products (plain), excluding food category (dairy-based drinks)
- Condensed milk and analogues (plain)
- Cream (plain)
- Milk powder and cream powder and powder analogues (plain)
- Cheese and analogous
- Dairy based desserts
- Fats oils and fat emulsions including butter, vegetable oils, fats, lard, tallow, fish oil, animal fats,
- Edible ices, including sherbet and sorbet
- Fruits and vegetables (including mushrooms and fungi, roots and tubers, pulses and legumes, and aloe vera), seaweeds, and nuts and seeds
- Vegetables (including mushrooms and fungi, roots and tubers, pulses and legumes, and aloe vera), seaweeds, and nuts and seeds2 Processed vegetables (including mushrooms and fungi, roots and tubers, pulses and legumes, and aloe vera), seaweeds, and nuts and seeds
- Confectionery including chewing gum, candies etc.
- Cereals and cereal products derived from cereal grains, from roots and tubers, pulses, legumes and pith or soft core of palm tree, excluding bakery but includes flours and starches, breakfast cereals, pastas, noodles, batters, soya beans, etc.
- Bakery wares like bread, crackers, fine bakery ware like cakes, cookies and pies
- Meat and meat products including poultry
- Fish and fish products, including molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms
- Sweeteners, including honey
- Salts, spices, soups, sauces, salads and protein products including herbs, spices, seasonings, condiments, vinegars, mustards, soups, broths, sauces,
- sandwich spreads etc.
- Foodstuffs intended for particular nutritional uses
- Beverages like water, fruit, vegetable juices, nectars, water based flavoured drinks, sports drinks, coffee etc.
- Ready to eat savouries
In a tabular form the FSSAI has also given the list of functional classes the definition of the functional classes and the technological purposes for which it is to be used. A second table gives the list of food additives and the category and foods they can be used in along with the recommended maximum level.
The FSSAI has also mentioned the list of other substances that can be used in food products like flavouring agents, lactulose syrup, oligofructose, trehalose, phyto or plant stanol and the limits they are permitted in.
For an in-depth view please read the full regulation.
Leave a Reply Cancel reply