Question:What does “Blue” dot mark (on food products) stand for?
Answer: As per Food Safety & Standards (Packaging & Labelling) Regulations, 2011; Green & Brown symbols need to be printed on the labels of Veg & Non-Veg Food articles respectively. The blue symbol has not been discussed and it does not hold any relevance to the labels of the food products.
Question: Is there any clarification on skimmed milk powder treated as proprietary food as per FSSAI?
Answer: It is a Standardized food and not a proprietary food. Please see: Regulation 2.1.2 (1) (c) under FSS (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011. As per Regulation 2.12 of the said regulations, the proprietary food is defined as; “Proprietary food means an article of food that has not been standardised 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.”
You can further read on Proprietary food: FSSAI Clarifies on Proprietary Food
Question:I want to enter into the India market with dietary supplement, what should I do to register this product?
Answer: Please refer FSSAI regulation; Food Safety and Standards (Health Supplements, Nutraceuticals, Food for Special Dietary Use, Food for Special Medical Purpose, Functional Food and Novel Food) Regulations, 2016 to check if your food product complies with the requirements of the standards. For registration of your product, please refer the following link for online licensing: https://foodlicensing.fssai.gov.in/index.aspx#
Question:I intend to start manufacturing the user customized meal replacement shakes having different nutritional content for each customer, though the ingredients will be same but the percentage composition might differ from customer to customer. In such a scenario it is not practically possible to have the customized food tested for each customer. I have a standard composition tested. What is the best way in such a scenario?
Answer: You need to ensure that only standardized ingredients including additives should be used. Also, ensure that those ingredients should be permitted to be used in the said food product. As per FSSAI regulations, you are also responsible for testing of all ingredients & the final product on chemical and biological parameters from a NABL Accredited/FSSAI notified laboratory to ensure that they are free from contamination & adulteration for the recommended parameters.
Question:is there any test for the detection of the quantity of Sodium Chloride present in milk?
Answer: The presence of extraneously added Sodium Chloride in milk can be detected by silver nitrate & potassium chromate reagent. For more details on the same, please refer the following link: https://fssai.gov.in/upload/uploadfiles/files/Manual_Milk_25_05_2016(1).pdf
Question: Does Irradiation of food products remove Aflatoxin Microorganism?
Answer: Irradiation kills all micro-organisms including those that produce Aflatoxin, but it cannot remove the Aflatoxin that has already been formed in the food products.
Question:Is it required to get the central license if a single manufacturing unit is in one state but marketing or selling in all over India?
Answer: If you are operating your food business in multiple states and having premises/establishments for managing operations & marketing activities then you certainly require a Central License for your Head Office and separate licenses would be required for different locations. If you would require a state license or a central license, that would depend upon the annual turnover of that particular location.
Question:What is the time period that a sample should be kept from sampling to analysis?
Answer: As per Food Sampling procedures as laid down under the FSS Act, Rules & Regulations; after the date of the receipt of the sample by the food analyst he/she has to submit the analysis report within 14 days. So, the analyst has the time not more than 14 days to analyze and submit the analysis report.
Question:How can we say the sample is Misbranded?
Answer: If the batch no., list of ingredients, best before/expiry date etc are not given on the label of a food product then all these come under misbranding. Another example; if the best before date is not given in the Capital Letters on the label a food product, then also it will be treated as misbranded food.
