No food product can be labelled ‘Fresh’ or ‘Natural’ without permission: FSSAI

FSSAI's new regulation on food packaging

According to a media report, two researchers from the Armed Forces Medical College, Pune studied 1,200 Indian food advertisements and observed that nearly 60 per cent of such advertisements are misleading, because of the flowery language and false claim they make. They neither follow the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) rules nor the codes of the Advertising Standards Council of India. To keep a strict check on the food advertisement world, FSSAI has laid down a new regulation. Read to know more about it.

From July 1, food brands will have to procure permission from FSSAI to use such words such as pure, natural, fresh, and authentic while describing products. They will also have to carry a disclaimer about the use of words under the latest FSSAI mandate.

How the categories will be defined?

According to FSSAI, companies can refer to a particular food as ‘fresh’ only if they are unprocessed except for being washed, peeled, chilled, or trimmed. The company needs to make sure that the product is safe and above-mentioned processes doesn’t alter out its basic characteristics. Also, the word “natural” will be permitted only for food derived from a plant, animal, micro-organism or mineral. The end product must not have any external ingredient added to it.

What’s more?

The latest regulation also states that companies and brands using words that mean fresh, natural, pure, etc. – will have to give a clear disclaimer stating “this is only a brand name or trademark and does not represent its true nature.”

What’s the punishment for violation?

Words like ‘organic’, ‘genuine’, and ‘real’ on food products generally attract customer and in case they are not authentic, it creates a false impression for customers and FSSAI as a regulatory body. Keeping this in mind, the new regulation states that in case the brand fails to do so, then the manufacturers will have to pay a fine of Rs. 10 lakh for the violation.

Need for such amendments

According to an official statement released by FSSAI, these regulations have been refined with a perspective of establishing fairness in claims and advertisements of food products and make food businesses accountable for it.

Verdict

Now, next time when you are out for shopping, remember to check the claims mentioned on the food packet and in case of any doubt, social media is always at your rescue to raise the voice.

Safe or Not: Why You Need to Know FSSAI’s Guidelines on Irradiated Foods & Radura Logo

Does the idea of irradiated food make you uncomfortable? Here’s what #FSSAI wants you to know.

Our shopping habits have undergone a considerable change over the years.

Not too long ago, we would purchase vegetables and fruits off the hand cart that did the rounds in the society, but today, ordering them online has become a hassle-free option.

But whether we acquire them from a trusted vegetable vendor every morning or the weekly farmers’ market, we will always be curious about where these essentials come from, what chemicals have been sprayed on them, whether they are organic as they claim to be and what safety measures one must take before consuming them.

Addressing one such concern, the Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued a statement saying that food products that have been treated with ionising radiation must be marked.

Here are eight things you must know about the ionising radiation process and the marker that you must look out for a while buying irradiated products.

1. According to the latest statement issued by the FSSAI, all food products that have undergone irradiation must carry the ‘Radura’ mark along with the tag ‘treated with radiation’ or ‘treated by irradiation.’

Radura is an international symbol, usually green in colour and resembling a plant in a circle.

2. The process of irradiation includes exposing food products such as fruits and vegetables to ionising radiation like gamma rays, X-rays or electron beams to achieve certain technological objectives.

The FSSAI says that these objectives “include [an] extension of shelf-life, destruction of storage and quarantine insect pests, and killing of parasites, pathogens, and spoilage microorganisms.”

3. Based on the requirements (as per dosage), the applications of food irradiation can be classified as low dose, medium dose, and high dose.

4. As compared to chemicals and fumigants, irradiation is much more effective and does not leave any harmful residue in food. It is equally suitable for both bulk as well as pre-packaged food and is a physical, non-additive process that causes minimal change in it.

5. Several misconceptions about the process have made consumers wary of irradiated food products.

However, the FSSAI assures that this is a safe process that “have inbuilt safety features that prevent human exposure to radiation.”

6. Currently, food irradiation is permitted in over 60 countries including the USA and China. Apart from fruits and vegetables, spices, dry vegetable seasonings, meat, meat products, herbs, and herbal products are the major commodity groups where this technology is used.

7. Several international entities, including the World Health Organisation (WHO), have clarified the misconceptions that may occur with consumers or even policymakers.

“At high energy levels, ionising radiation can make certain constituents of the food radioactive. Below a certain threshold of energy, however, these reactions do not occur. On the basis of experimental studies and theoretical estimates, in 1980, the Joint FAO/IAEA/WHO Expert Committee on the Wholesomeness of Irradiated Foods recommended restricting the radiation sources used in food processing to those with energy levels well below those that induce radioactivity in treated food,” observes the WHO.

8. To clarify the difference between irradiation and radioactive food further, FSSAI says, “Radiation processed foods are those that have been exposed to radiation to bring about the desired technological benefits. Radioactive foods, on the other hand, are those that become contaminated with radionuclides, for example during nuclear accidents. Contamination with radionuclides never occurs during radiation processing.”

The FSSAI guarantees that this process causes no harm to the consumer. To ensure that people are well informed about what processes the food they purchase has undergone, they have made it mandatory to have the Radura mark and tag on the products.

So the next time you are out buying groceries, make sure you look out for the sticker.

Raising the bar of street food in Thiruvananthapuram

When street shops in the city are mushrooming by day, the initiative aims at providing good quality food in clean environments.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Under the 'Clean Street Food Hub,' an initiative of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, street food shops at different parts of the state including Shangumugham will be raised to five star standards. When street shops in the city are mushrooming by day, the initiative aims at providing good quality food in clean environments.

According to the commissioner of Food Safety, Rathan U Kelkar, street food culture is deeply rooted in the minds of Indians, especially Malayalees. 

By focusing on local cuisines, the initiative also ensures social and economic upliftment of the street vendor community by helping them improve food quality thereby attracting more customers. "It is a 360-degree approach to Food Safety and Healthy Nutrition. We are trying to build a street food hub at the Shangumugham beachside where customers can have quality food while enjoying nature. Initially, an audit team verifies the street shop and lists down the requirements to gain quality certification. Once rectified, street vendors will be coached on cleanliness. Sessions comprise personal hygiene to food nutrition and health benefits," said Rathan. 

The Food Safety Department officials stressed on the need to develop a healthy eating habit in order to avoid lifestyle diseases. "Unhealthy cooking using refined oil and the use of unhygienic ice and water can result in severe health conditions. Hence strict instructions must be followed by street vendors. Lack of washbasins was one of the major problems faced. This will be sorted by making it mandatory to install washbasins in each shop," he added.