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Central food regulator notifies standards for Basmati rice
New Delhi The country’s top food regulator has notified standards to regulate basmati rice, the Union ministry of health and family welfare on Thursday, adding that this is the first time such comprehensive standards are being put in place
New Delhi
The country’s top food regulator has notified standards to regulate basmati rice, the Union ministry of health and family welfare on Thursday, adding that this is the first time such comprehensive standards are being put in place. The objective is to ensure that only real basmati rice is sold as basmati.
The standards specify various identity and quality parameters for basmati rice such as average size of grains and their elongation ratio after cooking; maximum limits of moisture, amylose content, and uric acid; proportion of defective or damaged grain allowed; and the level of incidental presence of non-basmati rice.
The standards are aimed at establishing fair practices in the trade of basmati rice and protect consumer interest, both domestically and globally, the health ministry said in a statement.
According to the food regulator, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), as per the standards, basmati rice shall possess natural fragrance characteristic of basmati rice and be free from artificial colouring, polishing agents and artificial fragrances.
“For the first time in the country, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has specified the identity standards for basmati Rice (including brown basmati bice, milled basmati rice, parboiled brown basmati rice and milled parboiled basmati rice) vide Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) First Amendment Regulations, 2023 notified in the Gazette of India,” the health ministry said in a statement.
The new standards will be enforced with effect from August 1, 2023.
Basmati rice is a premium variety of rice cultivated in the Himalayan foothills of the Indian sub-continent and is universally known for its long grain size, fluffy texture, and unique aroma and flavour. Agro-climatic conditions of the specific geographical areas where basmati rice is grown; as well as the method of harvesting, processing and ageing of the rice contributes to the uniqueness of basmati rice.
Due to its unique quality attributes, basmati is a widely consumed variety of rice both domestically and globally and India accounts for two thirds of its global supply.
“Being a premium quality rice and fetching a price higher than the non-basmati varieties, basmati rice is prone to various types of adulteration for economic gains which may include, among others, undeclared blending of other non-basmati varieties of rice,” said the health ministry’s statement.
“Therefore, in order to ensure supply of standardised genuine basmati rice in domestic and export markets, FSSAI has notified regulatory standards for basmati rice that have been framed through extensive consultations with the concerned government departments or agencies and other stakeholders as well,” it added.
Rice manufacturers and distributors in the country, however, are apprehensive about the practicality of new standards.
“How is it practically possible to check whether the rice is naturally aromatic or not! As far as brown rice is concerned not many eat brown rice and cleaning of rice is important to export as most countries won’t accept rice that is not cleaned. Some rules sound good on paper but are very difficult to implement in reality,” said one of the rice manufacturers and exporters based in Punjab, on condition of anonymity.
