According to an announcement unveiled by FSSAI on Jun. 2018, 14 ingredients are prohibited to be used in health supplements and nutraceuticals, foods for special dietary use and for special medical purposes, functional and novel foods. The ban is based on lack of solid scientific evidence substantiating the efficacy of these ingredients.
Here is the list of these 14 forbidden food ingredients:
S/N | Name | S/N | Name |
1 | raspberry ketone | 8 | slica |
2 | angelica sinensis | 9 | Paullinia cupana |
3 | saw palmetto | 10 | notoginsing |
4 | phytavail iron | 11 | chlorella growth factor |
5 | tea tree oil. | 12 | pine bark extracted to pinus radiate |
6 | pine bark extracted from pinus pinaster | 13 | Vitamin D3-veg |
7 | chaga extract | 14 | oxalobacter formigenes |
According to an FSSAI announcement “No further manufacturing of products using these ingredients will be allowed until these ingredients are assessed and approved by the authority”. Additionally food business operators are required to provide some scientific data to help substantiate ingredient safety.
Not all ingredients are subject to the blanket ban but are instead subject to specific restrictions. For example, D-ribose is prohibited in health supplements/nutraceuticals, but it can be applied in food for special medical purposes as long as the approval is obtained. Sale of products containing inosine which have already been manufactured or imported are subject to a grace period until September 2018. However, for products containing para amino benzoic acid (PABA), vanadium, prenolit, and selenium dioxide, they must be withdrawn from the market immediately.