India’s food regulator has kicked off the new year with a set of new food standards

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has introduced a set of new food standards on pulses, organic food, and honey. 

In a first, it has decided to include standard certification and labeling in organic food sector in India. 

It is notified 27 standards in 2018 including those on alcoholic beverages that will be enforced in the coming year. 

With the beginning of new year, India’s top food regulator, The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), introduced a new set of food standards on 1 January on items such as pulses, organic food, and honey,reported Press Trust of India. 

FSSAI has begun enforcing microbiological standards for fruit and vegetables and their products as well as further specified the tolerance limit of antibiotics and pharmacology active substances. Additionally, Food fortification regulations will become effective from 1 July 2019 said the report. 

FSSAI has also included standards for certification and labelling in the organic food sector of the country. Simultaneously, it is also looking forward to crackdown the uncontrolled adulteration in honey along with addressing issues related to its quality and purity, reported The Business Line citing a statement by FSSAI. 

Some of the regulations including those on alcoholic beverages will come into effect from 1 April whereas regulations on advertising and claims, packaging and labeling requirements of blended edible vegetable oils will be effective from 1 July 2019. 

FSSAI has been making efforts to protect consumers by speeding up the process of framing new food standards. The food regulator aims to ensure that consumers are eating ‘safe’ food. FSSAI wants to focus on compliance, monitoring, inspection, and enforcement of the drafted regulations said the report. 

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has drafted nearly 27 new regulation in 2018. 

The new standards framed by FSSAI introduced on Monday includes all pulses, whole and decorticated pearl millet grains, de-germedmaize flour and maize grit, couscous, tempe, textured soy protein, sago flour, bee wax, and royal jelly. 

According Food businesses in India are generally provided with a transition period of 6 months time and the date for implementing any new standard is either 1 January or 1 July, said FSSAI. 

The FSSAI has been working aggressively to check on food security and quality to avoid health risk to consumers in India.In 2018, it modified the provision for milk and milk products. It also banned the food industry for using recycled plastic or newspaper and magazine pages to pack food items,according to media reports.