The Apex food regulator, FSSAI issued a fresh notification regarding the exclusion of products listed under the category ’13’ i.e products used for a particular nutritional benefit from the table of proprietary foods. FBOs would have to seek approvals for the product concerned.
The order reads, “Since the FC 13 broadly covers Infant food products and products covered under Food Safety and Standards (Health Supplements, Nutraceuticals, Food for Special Dietary Use, Food for Special Medical Purpose, Functional Food and Novel Food) Regulations, 2016, therefore, it is inferred that the products covered under all the sub-categories under the Food Category 13, i.e., Foodstuffs intended for particular nutritional shall either have to comply with the standards set out in the respective regulations or have to seek product approval under FSS (Approval for Non-Specified Food and Food Ingredients) Regulations, 2017. Hence, all such products cannot be licensed as Proprietary Foods in any case”.
FSSAI reasoned that the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives Regulations), 2011, under its Sub-regulation 2.12 defines ‘Proprietary Food’ as an article of food that has not been standardized under these regulations but does not include novel foods, foods for special dietary uses, foods for special medical purposes, functional foods, nutraceuticals, health supplements and such other food articles which the Central Government may notify in this behalf.
Further, the Sub-regulation 2.4.1 (1) under FSS (Packaging and Labelling) Regulations, 2011, also states that an article of infant milk substitutes /infant foods, whose standards are not prescribed under Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011, shall be manufactured for sale, exhibited for sale or stored for sale, only after obtaining the approval of such articles of food and its label from the Authority.
Amidst the same, FSSAI announces that under FosCoS, the category 13 will remain prohibited for the proprietary applications.
An official concerned from FSSAI, stated that old database was reviewed and it was found that few licenses were introduced to some of the FBOs regarding proprietary use of the products enlisted.
The order says, “In order to prevent inadvertent errors and considering the sensitivity of the Food Category 13 and aligned law already in place, it has been decided to presently block Food Category 13 from the scope of Proprietary Foods under FoSCOS,”.
Central licensing authorities were also notified to review and identify such licenses under FC 13 and suggest them to get it modified under FosCoS till June 30, 2021, at no cost as a modification fee.