Suggestions invited by FSSAI for State/Central Licensing Jurisdiction.

Issue of State/ Central Licensing – Clarification on jurisdiction


A table has been prepared clarifying the items covered under Central/ State


Licensing and registration. As per schedule – 1, there is a category of FBO at IX which includes all units operating in 2 or more State under Central Licensing. In this category, all possible FBOs are being included so that there is no category of FBO which appears to be not covered or has not been mentioned explicitly. 


The decision to include these FBO in Central or State Licensing can be based on capacity/turnover as has been given in the enclosed table/ chart.


It is also clarified (a clarification on this already exists) that for each location, separate license is required and will be as per capacity/ turnover under State/ Central. However in all cases, when such FBO is in 2 or more States, separate Central License will be required to be taken for its Headquarter/ Corporate Office. Category of transporter will be exception to this as only one license for one FBO (Transporter) will be required instead of individual license for each vehicle carrying food items. 


Suggestions are being invited up to 03.02.2012 by 5:00 PM. All suggestions may be sent to Dr. D.S. Yadav, DD (E-II) at the e-mail address: dsyadav@fssai.gov.in


Click here to download the table clarifying the items covered under the Central/State licensing & regulations in pdf format.

Indians altering dietary habits, says Nielsen

A new survey by global research firm Nielsen reveals India’s urban citizens are altering their dietary habits as lifestyle changes send obesity rates rocketing.

According to the survey 77% of urban Indians are cutting down on fats to change their diet, while another 67% are cutting down on chocolates, sugar, and the likes to achieve the same effect.

About 62% of the respondents said that they are eating more natural and fresh foods to change their diet towards healthier living, while another 51% said that they are cutting down the amount of processed foods they consume.

The survey covered 500 Indian consumers online as part of larger global study that covered more than 25,000 consumers (with online access) in the Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America, West Asia, Africa and North America.

Mumbai-based nutritionist and dietician Mrinalini M. (first name only) told FoodNavigator-Asia that survey also reveals that Indians do have a better understanding of how healthy living works.

“The survey does reveal that 38% of Indians are following a low carb plan, which is indicative of them being aware of fitness trends. Another 79% indicated they preferred to exercise rather than change their food habits,” she said.

Mrinalini adds that these results are different to what is conventional thinking about Indians that they would rather diet than exercise. “Compared to western attitudes about exercise, Indians are far more laidback in practice. Though the survey results seem to point to the contrary.”

Read Full Article.

USDA unveils new standards for school meals

First Lady Michelle Obama and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack have unveiled new standards for school meals with the goal of making meals healthier for kids across the nation. The new meal requirements will raise standards for the first time in more than 15 years. The healthier meal requirements are a key component of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, which was championed by the First Lady as part of her Let's Move! campaign and signed into law by President Obama.

The final standards include:

• Ensuring students are offered both fruits and vegetables every day of the week;
• Substantially increasing offerings of whole grain-rich foods;
• Offering only fat-free or low-fat milk varieties;
• Limiting calories based on the age of children being served to ensure proper portion size; and
• Increasing the focus on reducing the amounts of saturated fat, trans fats, and sodium.

The USDA built the new rule around recommendations from a panel of experts convened by the Institute of Medicine. The standards were also updated with key changes from the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and aimed to foster the kind of healthy changes at school that many parents are already trying to encourage at home.

Full Press Release

A sample lunch menu with a before and after comparison is available below in jpeg format.

(Click on the image to enlarge)

India sets out on grand food safety plan

Alarmed at the various adulteration surveys that have revealed potentially dangerous food safety issues, the Indian government has decided to go the whole way in ensuring food safety in the country.

According to a source within the Planning Commission of India, an agency that lays out development plans for the country and the budgets for them, food safety would be given top priority under a new food safety plan.

The total budget for this plan is a mammoth US$1.3bn, which would be spent on the food safety initiative during the 12th Five Year Plan, which spans the period of 2012-17, the planning commission official told FoodNavigator-Asia.

Food labs to form backbone to the plan will cluster laboratories of accredited standards for every four to five districts in the country to carry out basic tests. According to the 2011 Census of India, the country has 640 districts.

“These would be supplemented by zonal food laboratories, of which there would be one in every 10 districts, to perform tests for residues and heavy metals. In addition, there would be 10 referral laboratories on top of this pyramid,” he said.

According to the official, the government is aiming to get a robust and efficient structure of laboratories in place to form the basis of its push towards increased food safety in the country.

“The government also wants mobile labs that would be able to serve large populations in case of food safety-related disease outbreak and also to provide testing abilities in remote areas,” he said.  .............read more

India seeks to establish 125 food testing labs

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) will set up 125 food testing laboratories in the country, if proposals are accepted by the government.

The labs will undertake tests to check whether adulteration is chemical, physical or microbiological. The proposed labs will join the existing 72 labs in the country.

The FSSAI already has four central food labs, working as referral labs to the primary labs, providing information about various research projects and their findings.

The authority has also appealed to the government to upgrade and modernise existing food testing labs and open them to food manufacturers, consumers and researchers. The regulator has constantly maintained that old equipment and lack of funds are limiting the functioning of the labs and their scope

Review of standards of food products & additives under the Food Safety & Standard Regulations,2011

Review of standards of food products & additives under the Food Safety & Standard Regulations,2011


The Food Safety & Standards Authority of India released this publication on saturday, 14th Jan,2011 in the Times of India inviting comments and suggestions from the experts of the food industry / consumers / food technologists and other in the similar field to suggest any modification in the existing Standards of Food Products & Additives under the Food Safety & Standards Regulations ,2011.

  

Are you going to purchase pre-packed food item ?

Are you going to purchase pre-packed food item ? 


The Food Safety & Standards Authority of India released this publication in the Times of India, New Delhi edition.

India to reduce trans fats in vanaspati oils

By Ankush Chibber, 19-Jan-2012

In an attempt to combat the sharp rise in obesity-related ailments in India, the national government is planning to reduce trans fatty acid (TFA) content in vanaspati oil over the next couple of years.

TFA content of vanaspati oils set to drop in India, a government source has said

Vanaspati is a fully or partially hydrogenated vegetable cooking oil often used as a cheaper substitute for ghee. Usually made from palm oil, vanaspati ghee can contain as much as 50% trans fats.

The government is set to issue rules that would limit TFA content in vanaspati to 10% by the end of the year, and 5% by the end of 2013, Ministry of Health (MoH) source told FoodNavigator-Asia.

The proposed norms come not long after a report from the Centre for Science and Environment, which stated that seven branded edible oils sold in the country had TFA content up to 12 times the 2% benchmark used by Denmark.

According to the MoH source, the move has been prompted by recommendations from the scientific committee of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), and an official notification would be issued soon, with obesity and related ailments concerns emphasised.

Ramping up the attack, “the government also plans to introduce mandatory labelling for information on TFA and saturated fat content on packs of vanaspati oil, edible oil and other oil products,” the source said.  .... read more

Indian food faces contamination problems, says survey

By Ankush Chibber, 12-Jan-2012

After the revelation that most of the milk sold in India is adulterated, there is a slight respite with a similar survey on food products, which found that a little more than 10% of such products were contaminated.

Under a survey done by the Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), it was observed that around 13% of both packaged and loose food items sold across the country were contaminated.

The survey, which was conducted by field researchers from the FSSAI, saw more than 117,000 loose and packaged samples being collected and analysed at government laboratories over a year for possible contamination. The survey found that 14,000 samples or 12.65% were adulterated.

The FSSAI survey found that food adulteration rates were the highest in states like Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand, which had 40% and 34% of their samples contaminated respectively. Interestingly, the food adulteration rates in Delhi and Karnataka were lowest at 4% and 5% respectively   ..... read more
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No ban on junk foods in Indian schools, but there will be new standards

By Ankush Chibber, 12-Jan-2012

The Indian government won’t ban taken a decision on the issue of junk foods being sold in and around schools and it is not all that pretty for food manufacturers in the country.

The Indian government in a written response to the Delhi High Court said that while it cannot and would not ban junk food in and around schools, it but will would however prescribe strict health standards for ingredients in such foods.

The note was government position came in a response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by a Delhi-based non-governmental organiszation, Uday Foundation, in 2010 where it asked for the sale of , that sought to ban junk food and aerated drinks in schools as well as within a 500-metre radius to be outlawed.of them.

The court, in a preliminary hearing had recommended to the central Government that it ban the sale of these foods in school, but did not make any recommendation on their sale within a 500m radius of schools.

In the response, the Ministry of Health informed the government that it will soon come out with standards for trans-fatty acids in food items sold off the shelf and implement these standards after consultations.   .....read more

Most milk sold in India adulterated

By Ankush Chibber, 10-Jan-2012

A national survey in India has revealed almost 70% of the milk sold and consumed in India is adulterated by contaminants such as detergent and skim milk powder. But water was the biggest contaminant.

70% of Indian milk is contaminated with water, detergent and more, a survey has found

The National Survey on Milk Adulteration 2011 conducted by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had a dual objective to identify the common adulterants in milk in rural and urban areas of different states, and to identify the non-conforming samples in loose and packed milk.

The authority concluded that the addition of water to milk is most common adulterant, which not only reduces the nutritional value of milk but contaminated water may also pose health risk to the consumers.

The survey saw FSSAI researchers randomly select and analyse 1,791 samples from 33 states, with the maximum samples collected from the state of Andhra Pradesh (75), and the least from Jammu & Kashmir and Sikkim (18).

.........read more

Indian nutrition body calls for healthy innovation in baked products

By Ankush Chibber, 10-Jan-2012

The apex nutrition body in India has called on the country’s bakery sector to focus more on technological innovations and better ingredients to keep pace with changing consumer trends.

The guidance was issued by the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), part of the Indian Council of Medical Research, which asked bakery manufacturers to look at ingredients like zero trans fat and high fibre.

Under the guidance, NIN also asked manufacturers to use micronutrient fortification to replace calorie-dense, high glycemic and relatively low-nutrient value products such as bread, biscuits, cake, muffins, buns, and pizza. 

NIN director B Sesikeran said in the guidance that with bakery products, there exists apprehension with consumers given the decreased physical activity and modern lifestyles amongst modern Indians.

“They think of them as calorie-dense products…there is need for research and development for novel and healthier bakery products relevant to the diverse needs of the country,” he said.     ........read more

Nestlé and Coke ice Indian tea JV

By Ankush Chibber, 09-Jan-2012

After being put on the backburner in October last year, it appears that the joint venture between Nestlé and Coca-Cola for the ready-to-drink (RTD) tea segment in India has been put permanently on ice.

Nestea fails to brew interest in India

FoodNavigator-Asia reported in October last year that the Indian units of the two multinational companies had delayed the nationwide rollout of Nestea, a RTD iced tea.

It now appears that Nestea may not see the Indian market after Nestlé said in a January 6 statement that the companies had agreed to focus the scope of their joint venture, Beverage Partners Worldwide, only on Europe and Canada.

“In all other territories the joint venture will be phased out in a transition to be completed by the end of 2012 subject to any regulatory approval,” the company said in the statement. .....read more

Indian biscuit maker takes aim at soy market

By Ankush Chibber, 09-Jan-2012

Maker of the Priya and Priya Gold brands of biscuits, Kolkata-based Priya Food Products is set to enter India’s packaged soy food products market.

Priya Food Products targets India's processed soya market

The company announced last week that it would enter the market first with packaged soy bean chunks, to be branded as Priya Soya, which would be initially be sold in West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand and Orissa.

According to the statement, the company has set up a soy manufacturing plant in Dhulagarh Food Park near Kolkata, which would this month start producing 3,000 tonnes of soy chunks per annum.

Priya Food Products managing director, G P Agarwal, told local media recently that it expected to get 25% of the market share in the first year of its operations thanks to growing demand in eastern India
..............read more

Are you doing any food business ? . Please read on....

Are you doing any food business? Please read on.......


The Food Safety and Standards Act,2006 has come into force with effect from 5th August,2011. It defines a Food Business Operator (FBO) as a person engaged in the business of food manufacture, processing, packaging, transportation, distribution, storage and import etc. and includes food services, catering services and sale of food or food ingredients. ........  read on

Sudan 4 found in India-made chilli powder product

By Ankush Chibber, 05-Jan-2012

 A chilli spice product manufactured in India and exported to the Middle East has been found to be contaminated with a potentially carcinogenic toxin.

Chilli powder manufactured in India found with high levels of toxic ingredient

According to the Spice Board of India, the authority had in November conducted raids on the manufacturing facilities of Eastern Condiments, a Kerala-based manufacturer and exporter of spice products to the Middle East.

During these raids the authority had found high levels of the additive ‘Sudan4’ in consignments of curry powder that were set to be exported, an official at the board told FoodNavigator-Asia on the condition of anonymity.

Sudan 4 is a red dyes used for colouring oils, waxes, petrol and floor polishes, and is said to cause cancer because of which it is banned for use in food products in some countries. .... read more.

Indian edible oil processors want change in 2012

By Ankush Chibber, 03-Jan-2012

 The Indian edible oil industry is banking on a slew of corrective measures in 2012 to revive its fortunes after the last year ended on a downhill thanks to changes in the Indonesian palm oil tax structure.

Industry is calling for land diversification policies to be put in place to battle cheaper imports, tax breaks, and a ban on consumer palm oil products coming into the country.

India was negatively impacted by Indonesia's decision to slash the maximum export tax on refined, bleached and deodorised palm oil (RBD) to 10%, while the rate for crude palm oil was left at 22.5%.

As a result, Indian food industries began importing more of RBD palm oil for the festive season in India, which stretched from October to the New Year, putting local refineries in trouble 

...read more
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India extends Chinese milk ban

By Ankush Chibber, 02-Jan-2012

 China will have to wait another six months before it can export its milk products across the Himalayas after India extended the ban on these food items.

According to a notification from the Indian Directorate General of Foreign Trade, (DGFT) the ban on the import of milk and its products from China will extend until at least June this year.

India banned the import of these food items in 2008 when the melamine milk contamination scandal broke in China, which affected over 300,000 children, and was implicated in the death of up to 12 infant deaths.

The DGFT said the ban, which was set to end on December 24, would be extended to June 24, 2012. The prohibition would cover milk and products including chocolates and confectionery preparations with milk or milk solids as an ingredient ...  read more
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Indian Tea industry set to boom, says study

By Ankush Chibber, 02-Jan-2012

The Indian tea industry – the world’s biggest – Is set to almost double in just three years – leaping from US$3.7bn to US$6.3bn by 2015 as health benefit awareness rises, according to the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM).

Its study showed India has 600,000 hectares under tea cultivation, on the back of which the domestic tea industry is growing at an annual growth rate of 15%.

“Awareness about health benefits associated with moderate intake of tea is another significant factor behind this upsurge in its demand as now more and more people are familiar with healing properties of tea,” ASSOCHAM secretary general D.S. Rawat said in a statement to FoodNavigator-Asia                    

........read more

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Wish you all a very Happy New Year -2012.

Wish you all a very Happy New Year -2012.