Specific Requirements and Manner of Labelling of Infant Milk Substitute and Infant Foods : Module 11

Specific Requirements and Manner of Labelling of Infant Milk 

In the earlier articles we have been discussing the general requirements of labeling and the information in general to be given on the label of any package of food. In addition to the general requirements and information, there are also some specific requirements and information, which are product specific and mandatory to be given on the label on the packages of food products. 

The packages of food products like: 

(i) Infant Milk Substitute and Infant foods including Infant Milk Substitute meant for premature baby or meant for babies who are allergic to milk proteins or allergic to milk sugars 

(ii) Edible oils and fats 

(iii)Irradiated foods and 

(iv) Other Food Products namely ; Coffee-Chicory Mixture, milk and milk powder, Compounded Asafetida, Mixed Masala, Iodised salt, Pan masala , Supari ,

Packaged drinking water and many others , are required to give certain product specific information , statements or warnings, which are as given below :- 

1. Infant milk substitutes /infant foods 

The container of infant milk substitute or infant food shall bear the following additional label declaration in the manner give below: 

“IMPORTANT NOTICE” :“MOTHER’S MILK IS BEST FOR YOUR BABY” 

(This declaration shall be given in the center of the label in color contrast of the label and the letter shall be not less than five millimeters .) 

“Infant food shall be introduced only after the age of six months and upto the age of two years” 

“ Infant milk substitute or infant food should be used only on the advice of a health worker “ 

Warning :” Infant milk substitute or infant food is not the sole source of nourishment of an infant” 

Instruction for appropriate and hygienic preparation including cleaning of utensils, bottles and teats .

Wholesale food markets to face random periodic checks by FSSAI

Wholesale vegetable and fruit markets, as well as beverage manufacturers, are soon going to face random periodic checks from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). While planning to focus more on surveillance and sampling, the Authority has constituted a panel to perform inspections on a regular basis, officials said.

"We are soon going to conduct regular inspections of vegetable and fruit markets, as well as of facilities that manufacture fruit-based beverages. Surveillance through sampling is going to be a major area of focus for FSSAI in the near future and we have already started taking steps to facilitate this," FSSAI Chief Executive Officer Dillip Kumar Samantaray told Business Standard.

In a meeting earlier this month, the Central Advisory Committee (CAC) of FSSAI also constituted a surveillance committee to formulate guidelines and detail a framework to carry on these inspections activities, another official said. FSSAI is the regulatory agency to monitor quality of food items, including imported products sold in the country.

The move comes in the wake of a Supreme Court order of last October voicing serious concerns over the harmful effects of carbonated drinks on the health of people. The apex court had asked FSSAI to monitor all manufacturing facilities of carbonated drinks, as well as major fruits and vegetable markets, to keep a tab on presence of pesticide residues in food products.

According to Samantaray, if manufacturing facilities or products sold in markets are found short on compliance, companies can face a hefty penalty under the Food Safety and Standards Act. "In extreme cases, if found guilty, they can also face tough actions, including prosecution," he said.

The panel formed for creating the surveillance framework is expected to give its report within a month, the official said. The report would primarily streamline criterion and processes for these checks. Once the framework is in place, the regulator would start inspections.

While some of the inspections would be carried by the central regulatory agency, it would also be assisted significantly by state level food safety officers. Various state food safety commissioners are also part of the surveillance committee constituted by FSSAI's CAC.

The SC had also directed FSSAI to evaluate the harmful effects of soft drinks on human health and to ensure that all beverages have labels detailing their ingredients, including levels of added chemicals.

Organic' vegetables come under lens

KOZHIKODE: The agriculture department will be extending its scheme of production and marketing of safe-to-eat vegetables through government outlets to more districts. The scheme, launched in association with Kerala Agriculture University last year, also envisages ensuring that vegetables and fruits being sold under the organic brand are pesticide-free.

The department will be collecting samples from parts of the state and testing them at the pesticide residue research and analytical laboratory of the university. The decision follows the detection of pesticide residue in nearly a dozen organic produce being sold at three shops selling organic vegetables and fruits in Thiruvananthapuram.

The pesticide residue research & analytical laboratory had conducted tests on 81 samples of 28 types of vegetables collected from these shops from July 1 to September 30 last year. Pesticide residues above the permissible levels set by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and European Union (EU) were found in seven types of vegetables -- coriander leaves, snake gourd, curry leaves, green chilli, okra, big chilli (sambar mulagu) and vegetable cowpea. The tests had also found pesticide residues in carrot, drumstick and beetroot. Only 46 samples of 18 vegetable varieties were found safe to eat.

Thomas Biju Mathew, professor (entomology), pesticide residue research and analytical laboratory said the highest volume of pesticide residues were found in curry leaf. "Residues of pesticides like malathion, chlorpyriphos, quinalphos, ethion, profenophos and cypermethrin were found in them, and that too above the permissible limit. Profenophos was found at a higher level in coriander leaf, ladies fingers, big chilli and green chilli,'' he said.

"A scientific study on daily consumption of such vegetables is yet to be conducted but they are definitely harmful,'' Mathew said. "We have decided to collect 200 samples a month to conduct tests, which will be double the samples collected now. The tests will also be extended to fruits, processed food products and spices this year."

The officials of the lab have already collected samples of organic vegetables from Kozhikode city.

The agriculture department will be collecting samples of organic vegetables from Ernakulam, Kottayam, Palakkad and Alappuzha in the coming days.

சவுகார்பேட்டையில் குடோனில் பதுக்கி வைத்திருந்த 3 லட்சம் குட்கா பறிமுதல்

தண்டையார்பேட்டை, மார்ச் 31: 

சவுகார்பேட்டையில், குடோனில் பதுக்கி வைத்தி ருந்த  3 லட்சம் குட்கா பொருட்களை அதிகாரிகள் பறிமுதல் செய்தனர். 

சவுகார்பேட்டையில் உள்ள சில குடோன்களில், தமிழக அரசால் தடை செய்யப்பட்ட பான்பராக், ஹான்ஸ் உள்ளிட்ட குட்கா பொருட்கள் பதுக்கி வைத்து, விற்பனை செய்வ தாக, சென்னை மாவட்ட உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அதிகா ரிகளுக்கு தகவல் கிடைத் தது. 

அதன்பேரில், அலுவ லர் லட்சுமி நாராயணன் தலைமையில், ஆய்வாளர் கள் இளங்கோ, சிவசங்கரன், சதாசிவம் ஆகியோர் நேற்று முன்தினம் அப் பகுதியில் உள்ள குடோன் களில் திடீர் சோதனை நடத்தினர். அப்போது, ஒரு குடோனில் 580 கிலோ எடையுள்ள குட்கா பொருட்கள் பதுக்கி வைக்கப்பட்டு இருந்தது தெரிந்தது. அவற்றை அதிகாரிகள் பறிமுதல் செய்தனர். அவற்றின் மதிப்பு, 3 லட்சம் என கூறப்படுகிறது. இதுதொடர் பாக, குடோனில் இருந்த ஆறுமுகம் (35), ரியாஸ் (32) ஆகியோரை கைது செய்து, குட்கா பொருட்கள் எங்கிருந்து வந்தது. குடோன் உரிமையாளர் யார், எங்கெங்கு சப்ளை செய்யப்படுகிறது என தீவிரமாக விசாரிக்கின் றனர்.