FSSAI proposes conditional licensing for proprietary foods

A conditional licensing framework for proprietary food products has been proposed by The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

Key Points

• Those products for which no identification standards have been prescribed under any existing regulations, but are generally manufactured using permitted ingredients and additives are known as Proprietary food products.
• FSSAI said that there have been instances where it has come across food manufacturers who apply for licenses for proprietary food products that resemble the products for which there are prescribed standards.
• According to the FSSAI, due to the lack of clear guidelines for proprietary food compliance towards it is loose.

Conditional Licensing

The concept of the Conditional Licensing of FSSAI is to check the market penetration of such products where to avoid compliance with standardized food products the composition of the product is diluted.

All food products available in the market need to comply with the food standards including standards for labelling, packaging, toxic substances and contaminants. Food safety regulations also include standards that mainly focus on the composition and identification standards of certain food products and also cover microbiological and additive requirements among others.

Therefore, the FSSAI is proposing the mapping of proprietary food products with closely resembled standardized food product category.

About FSSAI

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) was formed in the year 2011 and it is a statutory body established under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India. FSSAI is responsible for promoting and protecting public health through its supervision and regulation activities. The current Chairperson of FSSAI is Rita Teaotia and the current Chief Executive Officer is Arun Singhal. FSSAI is headquartered at New Delhi.

Month: Current Affairs - July, 2021