Pune:
Forget celebrating Christmas and New Year's this time with imported confectionery, truffles, Panettone (a bread loaf imported specially for Christmas), berries and of course, some imported scotch, whiskey and beer.
The imported product market, a roughly estimated Rs 100 crore business in India during Christmas and New Year's, is practically floundering with products stuck at ports or sent back to their countries owing to stringent label norms by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
TOI had earlier reported that the FSSAI rules on product labeling have led to a shortage of imported food products such as canned fish to condiments, sauces, vinegars, cheese, honey , pastas, and many others. The rules mandate imported products to have 17 label requirements. The norms not only seek customized product labels just for India, but also say that all labels should bear the MRP , information in English, the manufacturer's name, ingredients and FSSAI logo number, among other things.
With the holiday season fast approaching, high-end restaurants in the city are already feeling the heat --several exotic ingredients and imported liquor brands have begun to fade from their menus.
The owner of a specialty food store that sells international groceries and gourmet foods told TOI that it is a catch-22 situation -people are unable to get imported products through official channels, but the `grey market' seems to be brimming with imported products.
“There is a 50%-60% shortage of imported products right now, which is likely to continue come Christmas and New Year's when products like chocolates, candy , chewing gum, biscuits and cakes are in huge demand. The entire imported food industry also suffered a setback during Diwali this year,“ the store owner said. He added that people like to have continental dishes during Christmas and New Year's and these dishes depend heavily on imported ingredients. “Cold cut meats are consumed during this time and are facing several import issues right now,” he said.
Amit Lohani, founder-director, the Forum of Indian Food Importers (FIFI), a national body of food product importers, said that till a week ago, some categories of imported food products were being accepted by the authorities based on Codex Alimentarius standards, a collection of internationally recognized standards, codes of practice, guidelines and other recommendations relating to foods, food production and food safety. “However, they have now stopped clearing shipments as per Codex standards and products are being cleared only as per FSSAI standards. So many imported bakery items, which are used during Christmas, are not coming in, such as imported berries or flours,” said Lohani.
Lohani added that Panettone and turkey for instance are imported products and may not be available this Christmas. Around 800 shipments of imported products are still stuck at various ports, while many of the earlier shipments have been sent back to their countries, destroyed or abandoned, as per laws.
Ravish Arora, director, at restaurant Incognito said that the situation is unlikely to be resolved by Christmas or New Year’s. “Japanese items such as teriyaki sauce and sake, which are an integral part of the menu, are particularly in shortage.
Among imported alcoholic drinks, Arora said the restaurant has stopped getting supplies of Triple sec (a variety of Curaçao liqueur), Jägermeister (a German 70-proof 35% abv digestif), Sauza Tequila, Kahlúa and some beers. The owner of another high-end restaurant in Koregaon Park said that imported single malts and scotches are not available and the shortage could continue till New Year's. November and December see a decent demand for imported liquor, he added.
A liquor retailer told TOI that supplies of imported liquor are not regular at all. “We are now stacking goods for New Year's but we are doubtful about their demand since prices of imported alcohol have gone up by 5% recently . We also have limited stock. Though retailers may get many of the imported brands, restaurants do not as most of the imported alcohol stocks are first being picked up by retailers, leaving nothing or very little for restaurants,“ he said, adding that come New Year's, customers may not get what they want on the imported liquor shelf.
A source from an international spirits company said that around 40 to 50% imported alcohol brands are not available, and the situation is likely to be the same during the upcoming festive season. This includes scotch, beer, liqueurs, tequila, among others. Sources in the industry , however, said that the limited stock of imported liquor and imported products is unlikely to affect their prices.
The imported product market, a roughly estimated Rs 100 crore business in India during Christmas and New Year's, is practically floundering with products stuck at ports or sent back to their countries owing to stringent label norms by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
TOI had earlier reported that the FSSAI rules on product labeling have led to a shortage of imported food products such as canned fish to condiments, sauces, vinegars, cheese, honey , pastas, and many others. The rules mandate imported products to have 17 label requirements. The norms not only seek customized product labels just for India, but also say that all labels should bear the MRP , information in English, the manufacturer's name, ingredients and FSSAI logo number, among other things.
With the holiday season fast approaching, high-end restaurants in the city are already feeling the heat --several exotic ingredients and imported liquor brands have begun to fade from their menus.
The owner of a specialty food store that sells international groceries and gourmet foods told TOI that it is a catch-22 situation -people are unable to get imported products through official channels, but the `grey market' seems to be brimming with imported products.
“There is a 50%-60% shortage of imported products right now, which is likely to continue come Christmas and New Year's when products like chocolates, candy , chewing gum, biscuits and cakes are in huge demand. The entire imported food industry also suffered a setback during Diwali this year,“ the store owner said. He added that people like to have continental dishes during Christmas and New Year's and these dishes depend heavily on imported ingredients. “Cold cut meats are consumed during this time and are facing several import issues right now,” he said.
Amit Lohani, founder-director, the Forum of Indian Food Importers (FIFI), a national body of food product importers, said that till a week ago, some categories of imported food products were being accepted by the authorities based on Codex Alimentarius standards, a collection of internationally recognized standards, codes of practice, guidelines and other recommendations relating to foods, food production and food safety. “However, they have now stopped clearing shipments as per Codex standards and products are being cleared only as per FSSAI standards. So many imported bakery items, which are used during Christmas, are not coming in, such as imported berries or flours,” said Lohani.
Lohani added that Panettone and turkey for instance are imported products and may not be available this Christmas. Around 800 shipments of imported products are still stuck at various ports, while many of the earlier shipments have been sent back to their countries, destroyed or abandoned, as per laws.
Ravish Arora, director, at restaurant Incognito said that the situation is unlikely to be resolved by Christmas or New Year’s. “Japanese items such as teriyaki sauce and sake, which are an integral part of the menu, are particularly in shortage.
Among imported alcoholic drinks, Arora said the restaurant has stopped getting supplies of Triple sec (a variety of Curaçao liqueur), Jägermeister (a German 70-proof 35% abv digestif), Sauza Tequila, Kahlúa and some beers. The owner of another high-end restaurant in Koregaon Park said that imported single malts and scotches are not available and the shortage could continue till New Year's. November and December see a decent demand for imported liquor, he added.
A liquor retailer told TOI that supplies of imported liquor are not regular at all. “We are now stacking goods for New Year's but we are doubtful about their demand since prices of imported alcohol have gone up by 5% recently . We also have limited stock. Though retailers may get many of the imported brands, restaurants do not as most of the imported alcohol stocks are first being picked up by retailers, leaving nothing or very little for restaurants,“ he said, adding that come New Year's, customers may not get what they want on the imported liquor shelf.
A source from an international spirits company said that around 40 to 50% imported alcohol brands are not available, and the situation is likely to be the same during the upcoming festive season. This includes scotch, beer, liqueurs, tequila, among others. Sources in the industry , however, said that the limited stock of imported liquor and imported products is unlikely to affect their prices.
No comments:
Post a Comment