The FSSAI has notified the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Second Amendment Regulations, 2019 related to revision of existing standards of coconut milk and coconut cream, standards for dried oregano (whole and powder), pimento (Allspice) (whole and powder), formulation of laurel (Bay Leaf) (Whole and Powder), Dried Mint, Dried Rosemary. These regulations shall come into force on the date of their publication in the Official Gazette. Food Business Operators will have to comply with all the provisions of these regulations by 1st July 2020.
Regulations
The revisions have been notified in the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011 as follows
In the regulation 2.3: FRUIT & VEGETABLE PRODUCTS
- in the category 2.3.51,COCONUT MILK (NON-DAIRY) Under Description the clause (1 e) has been changed to the following
(e) Coconut water, Maltodextrin and Sodium caseinate may be added. The product shall have characteristic colour,flavour and odour of the products. It may be processed by heat, in an appropriate manner, before or after beinghermetically sealed in a container, so as to prevent spoilage.”
In the category 2.3.52,COCONUT CREAM (NON-DAIRY) under description the clause in clause (1 e)the following clause is proposed to be changed to the following
“(e) Coconut water, Maltodextrin, and Sodium caseinate may be added. The product shall have characteristic colour,flavour and odour of the products. It may be processed by heat, in an appropriate manner, before or after being hermetically sealed in a container, so as to prevent spoilage.
In regulation 2.9, Salt, Spices, Condiments and Related Products
The proposed standards for Dried Oregano are as follows
2.9.35 Dried Oregano
Dried Oregano Whole means the leaves of the Origanum genus, species, and sub-species, excluding Origanummajorana, belonging to the Lamiaceae (Labiatae) family. The colour of the dried leaves shall be light greyish green to olive green. It shall be free from yellow or brown leaf, and from dust and fine particles. It shall have characteristic odour
and flavour. It shall be free from mustiness and other foreign flavours. It shall be free from living and dead insects, moulds, insect fragments and rodent contamination visible to the naked eye.
It shall conform to the following requirements:
| Sl. No | Characteristics | Requirements |
| 1. | Moisture content, percent by mass (Maximum) | 12.0 |
| 2. | Extraneous vegetable matter, percent by mass, (Maximum) | 3.0 |
| 3. | Foreign Matter, percent by mass, on dry basis (Maximum) | 0.2 |
| 4. | Acid-insoluble ash, percent by mass on dry basis (Maximum) | 2.0 |
| 5. | Volatile oil content, ml/100g, on dry basis (Minimum) | 1.8 |
Explanation
- Extraneous Vegetable Matter – Vegetative matter associated with the plant from which the product originates.
- Foreign matter means any visible objectionable foreign detectable matter or material not usually associated with the natural components of the spice plant; such as sticks, stones, and any other material.
Dried Oregano Powder means the powder obtained by grinding leaves of the Origanumgenus, species, and subspecies, excluding Origanummajorana, belonging to the Lamiaceae (Labiatae) family. It shall have a characteristic odour and flavour. It shall be free from mustiness and other foreign flavours. It shall be free from living and dead insects,
moulds, insect fragments and rodent contamination visible to the naked eye.
It shall also conform to the following requirements:
| Sl. No | Characteristic | Requirements |
| 1. | Moisture content, percent by mass (Maximum) | 12.0 |
| 2. | Acid insoluble ash, percent by mass on dry basis (Maximum) | 2.0 |
| 3. | Volatile oil content, ml/100g, on dry basis (Minimum) | 1.5 |
2.9.36 Pimento or Allspice
Pimento or Allspice Whole means the dried, whole berry of Pimentadioica (L.) Merr. It shall be dark brown in colour. It shall have a mixed flavour of four spices – clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, and pepper. It shall be free from any foreign taste or odour, including rancidity or mustiness. It shall be free from living and dead insects, moulds, insect fragments and rodent contamination visible to the naked eye.
It shall conform to the following requirements:
| Sl. No | Characteristics | Requirements |
| 1. | Moisture content, percent by mass (Maximum) | 12.0 |
| 2. | Extraneous vegetable matter, percent by mass, (Maximum) | 1.0 |
| 3. | Broken berries, percent by mass, on dry basis (Maximum) | 2.0 |
| 4. | Foreign matter, percent by mass, on dry basis (Maximum) | 0.2 |
| 5. | Acid-insoluble ash, percent by mass on dry basis, (Maximum) | 1.0 |
| 6. | Volatile oil content, ml/100g, on dry basis (Minimum) | 2.0 |
Explanation
Extraneous Vegetable Matter – Vegetative matter associated with the plant from which the product originates.
Foreign matter means any visible objectionable foreign detectable matter or material not usually associated with the natural components of the spice plant; such as sticks, stones, and any other material.
Pimento or Allspice Powder means the powder obtained by grinding dried berries of Pimentadioica (L.) Merr. It shall be in the form of homogeneous dark brown powder. It shall have a mixed flavour of four spices – clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, and pepper. It shall be free from any foreign taste or odour, including rancidity or mustiness. It shall be free from
living and dead insects, moulds, insect fragments and rodent contamination visible to the naked eye.
It shall conform to the following requirements
| Sl. No | Characteristic | Requirements |
| 1. | Moisture content, percent by mass (Maximum) | 12.0 |
| 2. | Acid insoluble ash, percent by mass, on dry basis (Maximum) | 1.0 |
| 3. | Volatile oil content, ml/100g, on dry basis (Minimum) | 1.0 |
| 4. | Non-volatile ether extract, percent by mass, on dry basis (Maximum) | 8.5 |
| 5. | Crude fibre, percent by mass, on dry basis (Maximum) | 27.5 |
2.9.37 Dried Laurel or Dried Bay Leaf
Dried Laurel or Dried Bay Leaf Whole means the dried leaf of the tree
Laurus nobilis L. The laurel leaf is oblong and pointed at the tip with a short petiole. The leaf is soft, shiny on the surface and dull underneath. It shall have a pleasant, strong and delicate odour which emanates strongly when the leaf is crushed. It shall have a characteristic flavour. It shall be free from any extraneous odour; in particular mustiness. It shall be free from
living and dead insects, moulds, insect fragments and rodent contamination visible to the naked eye.
It shall conform to the following requirements
| Sl. No | Characteristic | Requirements |
| 1. | Moisture content, percent by mass (Maximum) | 8.0 |
| 2. | Extraneous vegetable matter, percent by mass, on dry basis (Maximum) | 2.0 |
| 3. | Foreign Matter, percent by mass, on dry basis (Maximum) | 0.2 |
| 4. | Acid-insoluble ash, percent by mass on dry basis (Maximum) | 2.0 |
| 5. | Volatile oil content, ml/100 g, on dry basis, (Minimum) | 1.0 |
Explanation
Extraneous Vegetable Matter – Vegetative matter associated with the plant from which the product originates.
Foreign matter means any visible objectionable foreign detectable matter or material not usually associated with the natural components of the spice plant; such as sticks, stones, and other foreign matters.
Dried Laurel or Dried Bay Leaf Powder means the powder obtained by grinding dried leaf of the tree Laurusnobilis L. It shall have a pleasant, strong and delicate odour which emanates strongly when the leaf is crushed. It shall have a characteristic flavour. It shall be free from any extraneous odour, in particular, mustiness. It shall be free from living and
dead insects, moulds, insect fragments and rodent contamination visible to the naked eye.
It shall conform to the following requirements:
| S. No | Characteristics | Requirements |
| 1. | Moisture content, percent by mass (Maximum) | 8.0 |
| 2. | Acid insoluble ash, percent by mass, on dry basis (Maximum) | 2.0 |
| 3. | Volatile oil content, ml/100g, on dry basis, (Minimum) | 0.8 |
| 4. | Crude fibre content, percent by mass, on dry basis (Maximum) | 30.0 |
2.9.38 Dried Mint
Dried mint means dried leaves or broken or crushed leaves of Mentha spicata Linnaeus syn. /Mentha Viridis Linnaeus. It shall have characteristic odour and flavour and shall be free from mustiness and other foreign flavours. It shall be free from living insects and moulds and shall be free from dead insects, insect fragments and rodent contamination visible to
the naked eye.
It shall conform to the following requirements
| Sr. No | Characteristics | Requirements |
| 1. | Moisture content, percent by mass (Maximum) | 13.0 |
| 2. | Foreign matter, percent by mass, (Maximum) | 1.0 |
| 3. | Extraneous vegetable matter percent by mass (Maximum) | 3.0 |
| 4. | Total ash percent by mass on dry basis (Maximum) | 12.0 |
| 5. | Acid-insoluble ash, percent by mass on dry basis (Maximum) | 2.5 |
| 6. | Volatile oil content, ml/100g, on dry basis (Minimum) | 0.5 |
Explanation
Foreign Matter means any matter or material not usually associated with the product.
Extraneous vegetable matter means any vegetative matter associated with the plant from which the product originates.
2.9.39 Dried Rosemary
Dried rosemary means dried leaves of the species Rosmarinus officinalis L., belonging to the family Lamiaceae. It shall have a characteristic colour, odour, and flavour. It shall be free from any foreign taste or odour, including rancidity or mustiness. It shall be free from living and dead insects, moulds, insect fragments and rodent contamination visible to the naked eye.
It shall conform to the following requirements:
| Sl. No | Characteristics | Requirements |
| 1. | Moisture content, percent by mass (Maximum) | 11.0 |
| 2. | Foreign matter, percent by mass (Maximum) | 1.0 |
| 3. | Extraneous vegetable matter, percent by mass (Maximum) | 3.0 |
| 4. | Brown leaves, percent by mass, on dry basis (Maximum) | 10.0 |
| 5. | Total Ash, percent by mass on dry basis, (Maximum) | 8.0 |
| 6. | Acid-insoluble ash, percent by mass on dry basis, (Maximum) | 1.0 |
| 7. | Volatile oil content, ml/100g, on dry basis (Minimum) | 0.8 |
Explanation
- Foreign matter means any matter or material not usually associated with the product.
- Extraneous vegetable matter means any vegetative matter associated with the plant from which the product originates.
Brown leaves means the leaves of the plant which die during the growing season and are brown in colour.
Leave a Reply