Top food regulator plans to make its certification must for all food products

The food regulator is also going to set standards for ‘Haleem’ as part of standards for meat products

New Delhi: India’s top food regulator— the food safety and standards authority of India (FSSAI)— is planning to make only FSSAI certification mandatory for food products in the country, according to a government statement.

Top food regulator plans to make its certification must for all food products

The move will effectively do away with the requirement of other certifications such as Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) or AGMARK certification for food products. BIS is the national standards body of India that allows the licensees to use the popular ISI mark and AGMARK is a certification mark for agricultural produce.

“In a move that would facilitate ease of doing business through the concept of ‘One Nation, One Commodity, One Regulator’, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) in its 43rd meeting held recently in New Delhi under the chairmanship of Union Health Secretary, Apurva Chandra, approved various amendments to streamline food safety and standards regulations,” read the government statement.

“Various amendments across different Food Safety and Standards Regulations were approved in the meeting to do away with Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) or AGMARK certification for food products. After the amendments are finalised, food businesses would not have to go to different authorities for mandatory certification with only FSSAI certification being made mandatory for food products…”

Other approvals that were granted in the meeting include standards of Mead (Honey wine) and Alcoholic Ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages, revision of standards of milk fat products, standards for Haleem etc.

The food regulator also approved a first-of-its-kind and comprehensive manuals of methods of analysis for ensuring regulatory compliance of the food products.

“The amendments across different Food Safety and Standards Regulations were approved in the meeting for draft notification to invite stakeholder comments before finalization,” read the statement.

The food regulator is also going to set standards for ‘Haleem’ as part of standards for meat products. Haleem is a dish made of meat, pulses, grains and other ingredients, which currently don’t have any set standards.

“These regulations will soon be finalised and will be gazette notified,” said a central government official, requesting anonymity.