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On June 4, 2025, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) released Draft Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Amendment Regulations, 2025. Major amendments involve drinking water, and a new standard for cheese powder. Any feedback can be submitted within 60 days from the gazettal date.
Key Amendments
1. Standard for cheese powder is proposed to be introduced.
Item | Contents |
Description | (a) Cheese powder is a powdered form of cheese made by drying cheese dispersed in potable water or cheese slurry. (b) Cheese powder shall be white or white with greenish tinge or light cream in colour. It shall be free from lumps except those that break-up readily under slight pressure and shall be reasonably free from scorched particles. It shall not contain any ingredient not found in milk except those permitted. (c) Cheese slurry means the product obtained by blending/grinding cheese curd, and optionally a liquid (e.g. water, milk, cream or butter oil) and /or milk solids. Cheese slurry is ripened for about 2 to 3 weeks at suitable temperature for flavour development. The flavour development in Cheese slurry is accelerated by using modified starters, adjunct cultures and exogenous enzymes. |
Quality Factors | (a) Raw Material (i) Cheese (ii) Cheese slurry (b) Permitted ingredients (i) Sodium Chloride (ii) Potable water |
Composition | Milk fat, Minimum, % (m/m), dry matter basis: 40.0 Moisture, Maximum, %(m/m): 5.0 Salt (added sodium chloride), Maximum % (m/m): 5.5 |
2. The FSSAI revises general parameters concerning substances undesirable in excessive amounts for packaged drinking water. The proposed revision can be found in the table below:
Characteristic | Permissible Limit |
Borates (as B), mg/l, Max | 5→2.4 |
3. The draft regulations propose significant revisions to the quality parameters for Drinking Water (Purified). Currently, such water must be clear, free from sediments, suspended particles, and extraneous matter, and comply with the Indian Standard IS:10500. The consultation now specifies that Drinking Water (Purified) shall be clear, without any sediments, suspended particles, or extraneous matter, and shall also meet the requirements outlined in Tables 1 through 6.
Table 1 Organoleptic and Physical Parameters
Characteristic | Permissible Limit |
Colour, Hazen units, Max | 5 |
Odour | Agreeable |
pH value | 6.5-8.5 |
Taste | Agreeable |
Turbidity, NTU, Max | 1 |
Total dissolved solids, mg/l, Max | 500 |
Table 2 General Parameters Concerning Substances Undesirable in Excessive Amounts
Characteristic | Permissible Limit |
Aluminium (as Al), mg/l, Max | 0.03 |
Ammonia (as total ammonia-N) mg/l, Max | 0.5 |
Anionic detergents (as MBAS) mg/l, Max | 0.2 |
Barium (as Ba), mg/l, Max | 0.7 |
Boron (as B), mg/l, Max | 0.5 |
Calcium (as Ca), mg/l, Max | 75 |
Chloramines (as Cl2 ), mg/l, Max | 4.0 |
Chloride (as Cl), mg/l, Max | 250 |
Copper (as Cu), mg/l, Max | 0.05 |
Fluoride (as F) mg/l, Max | 1.0 |
Free residual chlorine, mg/l, Min | 0.2 |
Iron (as Fe), mg/l, Max | 1.0 |
Magnesium (as Mg), mg/l, Max | 30 |
Manganese (as Mn), mg/l, Max | 0.1 |
Mineral oil, mg/l, Max | 1.0 |
Nitrate (as NO3 ), mg/l, Max | 45
|
Phenolic compounds (as C6 H5OH), mg/l, Max | 0.001 |
Selenium (as Se), mg/l, Max | 0.01 |
Silver (as Ag), mg/l, Max | 0.1 |
Sulphate (as SO4 ) mg/l, Max | 200 |
Sulphide (as H2S), mg/l, Max | 0.05 |
Total alkalinity as calcium carbonate, mg/l, Max | 200 |
Total hardness (as CaCO3), mg/l, Max | 200 |
Zinc (as Zn), mg/l, Max | 5 |
Table 3 Parameters Concerning Toxic Substances
Characteristic | Permissible Limit |
Cadmium (as Cd), mg/l, Max | 0.003 |
Cyanide (as CN), mg/l, Max | 0.05 |
Lead (as Pb), mg/l, Max | 0.01 |
Mercury (as Hg), mg/l, Max | 0.001 |
Molybdenum (as Mo), mg/l, Max | 0.07 |
Nickel (as Ni), mg/l, Max | 0.02 |
Polychlorinated biphenyls, mg/l, Max | 0.0005 |
Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (as PAH), mg/l, Max | 0.0001 |
Total arsenic (as As), mg/l, Max | 0.01 |
Total chromium (as Cr), mg/l, Max | 0.05 |
Trihalomethanes: Bromoform, mg/l, Max | 0.1 |
Trihalomethanes: Dibromochloromethane, mg/l, Max | 0.1 |
Trihalomethanes: Bromodichloromethane mg/l, Max | 0.06 |
Trihalomethanes: Chloroform, mg/l, Max | 0.2 |
Table 4 Parameters concerning radio-active residues
Characteristic | Permissible Limit |
Alpha emitters Bq/l, Max | 0.1 |
Beta emitters Bq/l, Max | 1.0 |
Uranium, mg/l, Max | 0.03 |
Table 5 Microbiological Requirements
Characteristic | Permissible Limit |
E. coli or thermotolerant coliform bacteria | Shall not be detectable in any 100 ml sample |
Total coliform bacteria | Shall not be detectable in any 100 ml sample |
Table 6 Parameters concerning pesticide residues
Characteristic | Permissible Limit |
Alachlor | 20 |
Atrazine | 2 |
Aldrin/ Dieldrin | 0.03 |
Alpha HCH | 0.01 |
Beta HCH | 0.04 |
Butachlor | 125 |
Chlorpyriphos | 30 |
Delta HCH | 0.04 |
2,4- Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid | 30 |
DDT (o, p and p, p – Isomers of DDT DDE and DDD) | 1 |
Endosulfan (alpha, beta, and sulphate) | 0.4 |
Ethion | 3 |
Gamma — HCH (Lindane) | 2 |
Isoproturon | 9 |
Malathion | 190 |
Methyl parathion | 0.3 |
Monocrotophos | 1 |
Phorate | 2 |
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