Food & beverage industry seeks early solution to labelling and claim issue

Not only Product Approval but the regulations with regards to labelling and claim have also put the food & beverage industry in a tight spot. In this regard, FSSAI seems to be still using erstwhile PFA regulations to regulate the food industry’s labelling and claim issues largely along with issuing norms for different products separately, like in case of nutraceuticals. It lacks an overall comprehensive labelling and claim regulation feels many.

According to FSSAI officials, the regulation with this aspect of food industry was being deliberated upon and there were certain issues and language which was being finalised. However, the apex food regulator had come up with a draft regulation in 2012, and its fate was still hanging in balance.

No clarity

According to one industry insider who does not want to be named, there is no clarity on labelling and claim policy of FSSAI, as yet. The issues largely rest with proprietary food, wherein labelling and claim issue together with Product Approval denial is making the situation worse.

Without Product Approval there is no licence and if supposedly the licence is lapsed, the company has to get a newer licence and subsequently it has to change the whole packaging to accommodate the new licence number. There should be provisions for licence renewal, according to an industry insider.

Furthermore, sometimes FSSAI issues notices which are contrary in nature. For instance, in case of canola oil, which was asked to be labelled as ‘low erucic acid rapeseed oil.’ The notification in this regards was later quashed by the Bombay High Court.

Importers’ issue

Food importers were also at the receiving end due to labelling and claim issue, particularly the ones who import in lesser quantity. The problem was that the exporter refuses to acknowledge the labelling requirement of India. There should be a way out says another industry representative.

Currently, the labelling norms were defined for FSSAI logo, licence number, nutritional values and so on under new regulations while date of manufacture and best before date are being used according to the erstwhile PFA rules. 

Labelling is largely related to the name of food, list of ingredients, declaration of food additives, net quantity or net weight, lot/code/batch identification, name and address of the manufacturer, date marking (best before, date of manufacture and/or packing & use by date/expiry date) for different product category like veg/ non-veg declaration and size of the vegetarian/ non-vegetarian logo.

Further display of declaration and labels, the height of numeral in the declaration and product specific labelling requirements also come under labelling.