FSSAI approval streamlines certification
The Indian government has given its approval for several amendments in food safety and standard regulations, with a key change being that only one certification from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) will be required for food products. The FSSAI will issue a draft notification, inviting stakeholder comments before finalizing these amendments.
If these amendments are implemented, food products will no longer require certifications from the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and AGMARK. The move is aimed at streamlining and simplifying the regulatory process, promoting ease of doing business, and embracing the concept of ‘One Nation, One Commodity, One Regulator.’
The Health Ministry has stated that following the finalization of these amendments, only FSSAI certification will be mandatory for food products. This eliminates the need for businesses to obtain certifications from different authorities, streamlining the certification process.
The recent approvals also include setting standards for Mead (Honey wine) and Alcoholic Ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages, revising standards for milk fat products, and establishing standards for Haleem, a dish made of meat, pulses, grains, and other ingredients that currently lacks defined standards.
Furthermore, the FSSAI approved a comprehensive manual of methods of analysis to ensure regulatory compliance of food products. The amendments across various Food Safety and Standards Regulations have been approved for draft notification, allowing stakeholders to provide comments before the finalization of these changes.
The meeting where these decisions were made was chaired by Union Health Secretary Apurva Chandra and included the participation of officials from various ministries, states, union territories, industry associations, consumer organizations, research institutes, and farmers’ organizations. These amendments signify a significant step toward simplifying the regulatory landscape and promoting a more efficient and uniform certification process for food products in India.
