In order to safeguard the fundamental right of the citizens that people must be served with good quality of food which is safe for human consumption, the Supreme Court of India has asked the apex body on Food Safety and Standards in India ‘FSSAI’ to do periodic checks on carbonated soft drinks. The statement from the apex court says that all citizens are protected under the constitution for their right to life.
In reference to a PIL which was filed in 2004 regarding setting up a committee for checking the harmful effects of soft drinks on humans, the order on the same was reserved by the supreme court on its last hearing in December last year. ‘FSSAI’ which comes under the department of Health & Family Welfare (Govt. Of India) had constituted a dedicated committee who looked into the matter and the investigation team of the panel suggested that the ingredients like phosphoric acid, Malic and Citric acid, artificial sweeteners, caffeine, carbon dioxide, colouring agents, benzoic acid, if used under prescribed limits in beverages are considered to be safe for human consumption and will not cause any serious health hazards.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued instructions to FSSAI on the plea, the order on which was reserved earlier, that every carbonated soft drink has to be periodically analyzed and tested so that people can feel safe about consuming these drinks. All food business operators running soft drinks businesses are required to declare, not only the right facts about the ingredients used in beverages, but also the proportions of these substances on the units of the packages. Food Business Operators are further advised not to use any exaggerated matter on the label with an intention to convince the buyer.
Beverages like Carbonated soft drinks are being consumed in large proportions as people prefer to consume them instead of water but they usually lack in nutritional content.
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