The FSSAI has issued a notification calling for suggestions, views, comments from WTO- SPS Committee members within a period of 60 days beginning from 3 May 2017 on the proposed draft amendment related to the inclusion of additional additives in Appendix-A. These additional additives will be including in the prevailing list and once regularised can be used by FBOs as they can be used as alternative additive choices in food products. The new additives will benefit dairy and health food manufacturers who can use them in new product categories. In the draft amendment the FSSAI has given full details of the food additive along with INS numbers, maximum limits and the food products they can be used in.

FSSAI proposes amendments to expand the list of additives in Appendix A

The following are some of the highlights of the proposed amendment and does not contain the full details and standards.

FOOD CATEGORY SYSTEM

In Dairy Products and Analogues the following changes have been proposed

  • non-dairy based whitener will be added to the category beverage whiteners
  • dairy based dairy whitener will be added to the category milk powder and cream powder(plain)

In the Fruits and vegetables (including mushrooms and fungi, roots and tubers, fresh pulses and legumes, and aloe vera), seaweeds, and nuts and seeds category the following changes have been proposed

  • Peeled or cut fresh fruit will now read as Peeled or cut, minimally processed fruit’
  • Fruit based spreads (eg. Chutney) excluding product of food category will now read as Fruit-based spreads (e.g. chutney) excluding products of food category 4.1.2.5. (4.1.2.5 means that Jams, jellies, marmalades are excluded from this category.
  • Peeled, cut or shredded fresh vegetables (including mushrooms and fungi, roots and tubers, pulses and legumes, and aloe vera), seaweeds, and nuts and seeds’ will be changed to Peeled, cut or shredded minimally processed vegetables ((including mushrooms and fungi, roots and tubers, fresh pulses and legumes, and aloe vera) sea weeds, nuts and seeds

In the category Sweeteners, including honey the following changes are proposed which is the addition of a new category Gur or Jaggery. This category will include

  • Cane Jaggery/Gur
  • Palm Jaggery/Gur
  • Date Jaggery/Gur

The category Herbs and spices are proposed to read as “Herbs, spices, masalas, spice mixtures including oleoresins or extracts/derivatives thereof”

FOOD CATEGORY DESCRIPTIONS

In Dairy products and analogues the proposed changes are as follows

  • Dairy-based drinks – flavoured and/or fermented is proposed to be changed to the following – Dairy-based drinks, flavoured and/or fermented includes all ready-to-drinks flavoured and aromatized milk-based fluid beverages and their mixes, excluding mixes for cocoa (cocoa-sugar mixtures, category 5.1.1). Example include hot chocolate, chocolate malt drinks, strawberry-flavoured yoghurt drink, whey based drinks, lactic acid bacteria drinks, and lassi (liquid obtained by whipping curd from the lactic acid fermentation of milk, and mixing with sugar or synthetic sweetener). drinks).
  • In this category dairy based dairy whitener will be omitted and will be instead replaced with ‘Non-dairy based beverage whitener.’
  • In the category relating to Milk powder and cream powder (plain) the following will be added which is ‘Dairy based dairy whitener’ for which the description is Milk or cream constituting of milk protein and lactose’

Under Confectionery

‘Chocolate substitutes and their products’ are proposed to be replaced with ‘Imitation chocolate, chocolate substitute products’

The FSSAI has changed the descriptions for Hard Candy and Soft Candy as well as Nougats and Marzipans

In the Herbs, spices, seasonings, and condiments category spices means any form of spice including curry powders, spice oils, oleoresins and other mixtures where spice content is predominant’

ADDITIVES IN FOOD PRODUCTS

  • In “Powder Analogues” for food additive Phosphate the number has changed to 33 from the previous 36
  • In “Ripened cheese includes rind,” in food additive Hexamethylene tetramine” the following entries shall be inserted, namely “66, 298”
  • In “Fat spreads, dairy fat spreads and blended spreads (margarine, bakery shortenings and fat spreads)” food additives added are

Sucrose oligoesters, Type I and Type II

Sucrose esters of fatty acids

  • In “Fat emulsions mainly of type oil-in-water, including mixed and/or flavoured products based on fat emulsions,” additives added are

Poly glycerol esters of fatty acid

Propylene glycol alginate

STEAROYL LACTYLATES

SORBITAN ESTERS OF FATTY ACIDS

  • In “Peeled or cut minimally processed fruits” the following may be added

Citric acid

Ascorbic acid

  • In Fruit preparations, including fruit pulp, purees, fruit toppings and coconut milk” the following may be added

SORBITAN ESTERS OF FATTY ACIDS

  • In “Peeled, cut or shredded minimally processed vegetables (including mushrooms and fungi, roots and tubers, fresh pulses and legumes, and aloe vera) sea weeds, nuts and seeds)” following may be added

Citric acid

Ascorbic acid

Calcium ascorbate

Potassium carbonate

  • In “Vegetables (including mushrooms and fungi, roots and tubers, fresh pulses and legumes, and aloe vera) sea weeds in vinegar, oil, brine or soybean sauce” the following may be added

Ferrous gluconate

Ferrous lactate

  • In “Cocoa mixes (powders) and cocoa mass/cake” the following may be added

Poly glycerol esters of fatty acid

Polyglycerol esters of interesterified ricinoleic acid

SORBITAN ESTERS OF FATTY ACIDS

  • In “Cocoa mixes (syrups)” the following may be added

TARTRATES

TOCOPHEROLS

In “Cocoa and chocolate products” the additions are

Indigotine (indigo carmine)

Polyglycerol polyricinoleate

Tertary butylhydroquinone (TBHQ)

  • “Polyglycerol ester of fatty acid and Polyglycerol ester of inter sterified ricinoleic acid” will be replaced with Polyglycerol esters of interesterified ricinoleic acid and additions made are

Castor oil

TOCOPHEROLS

  • For “Imitation Chocolate, Chocolate substitute products” under the category of ‘Polyglycerol esters of interesterified ricinoleic acid’ Beewax will be omitted

           Additions will be

Polydimetyl siloxane

Polyglycerol esters of fatty acid

Sucroglycerides

Sucrose Oligoesters, Type-I and Type -II

Sucrose esters of fatty acid

TARTRATES

TOCOPHEROLS

  • In Confectionery including hard and soft candy, nougats etc. other than food categories the following are to be omitted

Indigotine (Indigo carmine)

Shellac, bleached

Sucrose Oligoesters, Type-I and Type –II

Sucrose esters of fatty acid

However in Hard candy and soft candy addition can have

Polyglycerol esters of intersterified ricinoleic acid

  • In Decoration (e.g. for fine bakery wares) , toppings (non-fruit) and sweet sauce” the following additives may be included

Allura Red

Grape skin extract

Mineral oil, medium viscosity

Poly glycerol esters of fatty acid

Polyglycerol esters of interesterified ricinoleic acid

Propylene glycol alginate

SORBITAN ESTERS OF FATTY ACIDS

STEAROYL LACTYLATES

Sucroglycerides

Sucrose oligoesters, Type I and Type II

Sucrose esters of fatty acids

TARTRATES

TOCOPHEROLS

  • In “Ready to eat cereals, breakfast cereals, including rolled oats” the following may be added

TOCOPHEROLS

  • For “Cereals/Pulses and starch based desserts” for Fast green FCF the number 110 will be replaced with number 143
  • In “Cakes, cookies, biscuit, cracker and pies”, the following will be added

STEAROYL LACTYLATES

Poly glycerol esters of fatty acid

SORBITAN ESTERS OF FATTY ACIDS

Nisin

POLYOXYETHYLENE STEARATES

Propylene glycol

Sucrose oligoesters, Type I and Type II

Ponceau 4R 124

Sunset yellow FCF110

  • Heat-treated processed meat and poultry products in whole pieces or cuts (canned chicken, canned mutton & goat meat) the following can be used

TOCOPHEROLS

  • In “Frozen Processed meat and poultry products in whole pieces or cuts,” the following can be added

POLYSORBATES

Propyl gallate

Tertiary butylhydroquinone (TBHQ)

Brilliant blue FCF

Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA)

Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT)

Caramel III – ammonia caramel

Caramel IV – sulfite ammonia caramel

Erythrosine

Grape skin extract

Paprika oleoresin

NITRITES

PHOSPHATES

POLYSORBATES

Propyl gallate

RIBOFLAVINS

Tertiary butylhydroquinone (TBHQ)

  • For “Heat-treated processed comminuted meat and poultry products (canned cooked ham, canned luncheon meat, canned chopped meat)”, you may add

TOCOPHEROLS

In “Liquid egg products”, Triethyl citrate will be omitted

In “Frozen egg products,” Sorbates will be omitted

In “vegetable nectar.” Curcumin will be omitted

In “Non-carbonated water-based flavoured drinks including punches and ades, ginger cocktail (ginger beer and gingerale), thermally processed fruit beverages/ fruit drinks/ready to serve fruit beverages L-Tartaric acid will be omitted.