FSSAI ,in a recent statement made it clear that ‘Best Before’ labels on the trays are only meant for “Indian Sweets” and are not applicable to other delicacies in the category.
Order took its hold from October 1, vide one issued on 25th September and vertex food authority stated that the loose sweets or in the tray or in the shelves in shops must display ‘best before’ labels ensuring the safety of consumers and credibility of product.
The FSSAI order, addressed to all the Central licensing authorities and state Food Safety Commissioners, says, “It is clarified that the said order is applicable for Indian sweets only and FBOs are permitted to display the mandatory ‘Best Before Date’ and ‘Date of Manufacturing’ (voluntary and non-binding) on the container carrying sweets for sale.”
The labels can also be written in local language, the order stated.
One can also display ‘date of manufacturing’ but its completely voluntary and non-demanding.
FSSAI’s order has asked the FBOs to decide the ‘Best Before Date’ of sweets depending upon the nature of the product and local conditions. However, an indicative list of shelf life of various types of sweets is given in the guidance note on Safety of Traditional Milk Products. Authority also asked about the strict compliance to the order.
FSSAI has been quite stringent ensuring the safety and health of consumers. One such pursuit was an awareness programme initiated in July to educate people about the healthy food habits, checking credibility of the edibles etc. Authority also helped people to learn extra prophylactic techniques owing to the ongoing pandemic through numerous drives.
The earlier date of implementation of the order to show ‘best Before’ was August 1, 2019 which was further extended to June, 2020 due to the pandemic.
The decision to ask FBOs to carry ‘date of manufacturing and best before’ was taken after the food authority got complaints about stale sweets sold to customers in many parts of the country.