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On June 10, 2024, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) updated two draft amendments to the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011. The two drafts are both called Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Amendment Regulations, 2024. Major contents involve food additives, and food products such as dairy products. Any feedback can be submitted to [email protected] within 60 days since the gazettal date.
Major revisions of draft one on food product standards and food additives
Under draft one, the affected food products include dairy products, fats, oils, cereal products, sweets and confectionary, sweetening agents, salts, spices, and condiments.
Food product standards
Taking dairy products as an example, the authority mainly proposes to:
add the definition of ultra pasteurization,
revise the definition of flavored milk and permitted ingredients in flavored milk,
revise the composition requirements of milk powders, cream powder, fermented milk products, whey protein concentrate, and whey protein isolate.
Examples are shown below:
Addition of ultra pasteurization's definition
Ultra Pasteurization, when used on milk, means the typical processing of heating milk to 125°C-128°C for a minimum of 2 seconds in continuous flow and packaging under aseptic conditions to ensure preservation at room temperature for a period of not less than 7 days from the date of manufacture. Ultra Pasteurization of milk shall show negative in Lactoperoxidase test. The pH of Ultra pasteurized milk should not drop by more than 0.3 units at the end of 7 days of incubation at 55°C.
Revision of the composition of milk powder and cream powder
The added information is marked in red.
Parameter | Whole Milk Powder | Partly Skimmed Milk Powder | Skimmed Milk Powder | Cream Powder |
Insolubility index, maximum, ml | 2.0 (15.0 for roller dried) | 2.0 (15.0 for roller dried) | 2.0 (15.0 for roller dried) | - |
Addition of whey protein isolate's composition
The added information is marked in red.
Parameters | Limits | |
Whey Protein Concentrate | Whey Protein Isolate | |
Moisture, maximum, % (m/m) | 6.0 | 6.0 |
Milk Protein, minimum, % (m/m) | 35.0 | 90.0 |
Milk fat, maximum % (m/m) | 10.0 | 1.0 |
Scorched particles, maximum | Disc B (15 mg) | Disc B (15 mg) |
Food additives
The draft mainly proposes to add and revise food additives and processing aids. Examples are listed in the tables below.
Addition of a food additive relating to aromatized alcoholic beverages
Food Additive | INS Number | Recommended Maximum Level | Note |
Glycerol esters of wood rosin | 445 (iii) | GMP | - |
Addition of a permitted clarifying agent and filtration aid
Name of the processing aid | Product Category | Residual level (mg/kg) (Not more than) |
Sulphur Dioxide (INS 220) | Plantation White Sugar, Cube Sugar, Dextrose, Gur, Jaggery, Misri | 70 |
Khandsari (Sulphur) and Bura | 150 | |
Refined Sugar | 40 |
Addition of generally permitted processing aids
Name of the processing aid | Functional/ Technological Purpose | Product Category | Residue Level(mg/kg) (Not more than) |
Nitrogen (INS 941) | Packaging gas, Creating | All foods | GMP |
Hydrochloric acid (INS 507) | pH control agent | Water Treatment, Non-alcoholic beverages | GMP |
Ammonium bicarbonate (INS 503(ii)) | Raising agent | Flour Mix and its products | GMP |
Ammonium Chloride | pH control agent | Flavourings | GMP |
Major revisions of draft two on food products standards and food additives
Specifically, the food products involved in draft two are fruit and vegetable products, cereals and cereal products, fish and fish products, and salt, spices, condiments and related products.
Food product standards
For culinary pastes/fruits and vegetable sauces other than tomato sauce and soya Sauce, the limit of acidity (%) shall not be applicable for retort/aseptically processed products.
Standards are revised for whole maize (corn) flour, ragi flour and mixed millet flour. Besides, detailed standards are added for two cereal products, namely flattened rice, and rice flour.
Standards are revised for canned fishery product.
Standards are added for edible rock salt (pink salt and Sendha salt) and edible black salt.
Food additives
The draft mainly proposes to add and revise food additives, and modify the microbiological requirements. Example are listed in the tables below.
Addition of a food additive relating to wines (other than grape)
Food Additive | INS Number | Recommended Maximum Level | Food Category Name |
Diammonium Hydrogen phosphate | 342(ii) | 300 mg/l | Wines (other than grape) |
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