Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has today operationalised the final list of 11,000 food additives provisions that can be used by food businesses in various food categories. This culminates an important process in developing food standards for food additives that began about three years ago.
In February, 2013, an exercise was taken up to harmonize the food standards that existed under the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1955 with the Codex Standards. FSSAI’s ‘Scientific Panel on Food Additives’undertook the herculean task ofsifting through about 6,000 provisions of food additives under the PFA Act with Codex provisions for food additives and finalized a list of about 11,000 provisions. This was approved with suitable modifications in the 15thScientific Committee held on 10th December, 2014 and later in the 16th Food Authority meeting held on 16th January, 2015.
Thereafter, these Standards of food additives were draft notified on 4th August 2015 and released for public consultation on 13.10.2015 inviting suggestions and comments from various stakeholders. No comments were received in respect of as many as 8000provisions of food additives. These were made operational in addition to the pre-existing provisions contained in Regulations 3.1 of Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011 on 23.12.2015. Final list of about 11,000 food additives provisions that has been operationalised today replaces the 8,000 provisions of food additives that were operationalized on 23.12.2015 and also the pre-existing provisions.
At least two additives, namely Potassium Bromate (normally used in bread and bakery products)and Cyclamates (normally used in jams, jellies, marmalades, dairy based drinks, confectionary etc.) have been removed from list of permissible additives. Hence, after this final list of provisions of additives, Potassium Bromateand Cyclamates are not allowed in any food category in the country. FSSAI has convened a meeting of the Scientific Committee on 28.06.2016 to discuss other issues which have been received with respect to additives after these were finalized. The Committee will also discuss the issue of use of Potassium Iodate in food in the country.
It may be pointed out that FSSAI has already notified the specification of proprietary food so as to facilitate the food businesses to manufacture and process new food which may contain the standardized/approved ingredients in the Food Safety and Standards Regulations and may use the food additives permitted for the category or sub-category. FSSAI has also finalized a list of food additives with respect to alcoholic beverages in alignment with International Organization for Vine and Wine (OIV)Standards.With this FSSAI has achieved a major land mark in setting of the standards for various foods in the country.
