Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has operationalised the final list of 11,000 food additives that can be used by food businesses in various food categories. This culminates an important process in developing food standards for food additives that began about three years ago, according to a FSSAI statement released here recently.
The process to harmonise the food standards in the country with international Codex standards started in February 2013. FSSAI’s ‘Scientific Panel on Food Additives’ undertook the task of sifting through 6,000 provisions of food additives under the erstwhile PFA Act and harmonised them with Codex provisions and finalised a list of about 11,000. This was approved with suitable modifications in the 15th Scientific Committee held on December 10, 2014, and later in the 16th Food Authority meeting held on January 16, 2015. It may be noted that though the PFA Act was repealed to give way to FSS Act, the standards and list of approved additives were carried forward.
Thereafter, these standards of food additives were draft notified on August 4, 2015, and released for public consultation on October 13, 2015, inviting suggestions and comments from various stakeholders. No comments were received in respect of as many as 8,000 provisions of food additives. These were made operational in addition to the pre-existing provisions contained in Regulations 3.1 of Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011, on December 23, 2015. The final list of about 11,000 food additives provisions that has been operationalised recently replaces the 8,000 provisions of food additives that were operationalised on December 23, 2015, and also the pre-existing provisions, said the statement.
The industry has welcomed the move. Sometime back, the FSSAI released a clarification with respect to proprietary food, which has been a serious bone of contention between the industry and the apex food regulator. But with 11,000 additives approved, the problem of proprietary food is resolved to a great extent.
Potassium bromate goes off list
Further, post-controversy with regards to potassium bromate used in bread and bakery products, the apex food regulator has decided to remove it from the approved list. As per the statement, “At least two additives, namely potassium bromate (normally used in bread and bakery products) and cyclamates (normally used in jams, jellies, marmalades, dairy-based drinks, confectionery etc.) have been removed from list of permissible additives. Hence, after this final list of provisions of additives, potassium bromate and cyclamates are not allowed in any food category in the country.”
Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has welcomed the removal of potassium bromate from the list of approved additives by FSSAI.
“We are happy to know that the FSSAI has banned the use of potassium bromate. Our study on bread last month raised this issue and FSSAI had announced to ban it soon. We welcome the prompt action. The chemical was banned in most parts of the world but allowed in India until now. The new law will reduce public health risk from a possible cancer-causing chemical,” said Chandra Bhushan, deputy director-general, CSE.
“We had also recommended a ban on the use of potassium iodate as a flour treatment agent in bread-making. The industry has already declared not to use both these chemicals in public interest. We hope that the FSSAI soon prohibits use of potassium iodate as well,” added Bhushan.
A CSE study in May 2016 had highlighted the use and presence of residues of potassium bromate and/or potassium iodate in bread-making in India. These chemicals have been banned in several countries worldwide due to their possible adverse health effects. Potassium bromate is a known possible cancer-causing chemical. Use of Potassium iodate in bread can lead to excess iodine intake which could be linked to certain thyroid-related diseases.
Subsequently, the All India Bread Manufacturers’ Association representing the organised industry had declared its intention to withdraw the use of potassium bromate and potassium iodate in bread-making.
FSSAI will also discuss the issue of use of potassium iodate in food in the country.
It may be pointed out that FSSAI has already notified the specification of proprietary food so as to facilitate the food businesses to manufacture and process new food which may contain the standardised/approved ingredients in the Food Safety and Standards Regulations and may use the food additives permitted for the category or sub-category. FSSAI has also finalised a list of food additives with respect to alcoholic beverages in alignment with International Organization for Vine and Wine (OIV) Standards. With this, FSSAI has achieved a landmark in setting of the standards for various foods in the country.
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