New standards for silver leaf shelved

NEW DELHI, AUGUST 10: 

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on Thursday said that under the direction of the Delhi High Court, it has decided to put the implementation of new standards for silver leaf on hold.

Last year, the Authority had decided to ban the use of any material of animal origin in silver leaf (chandi ka warq), and had said the new standards will come into force by August 1, 2017.

However, on July 28, the Delhi High Court, after hearing a PIL, sought the government’s reply and directed that “till the next date of hearing, there shall be stay on the effect and operation of the impugned notification.”

Silver leaf is used for decoration of sweets and confectionary as well as in paan and packaged supari.

According to the court order available on the FSSAI website, the PIL which has challenged these new standards, claimed that about 1.5 lakh people involved in making silver leaf through the traditional process will be rendered jobless.