Food Safety Helpline, YourAnswers to Food Safety Challenges
Question: Please suggest about imported Canola Oil Label. Whether it may write as ” Imported Canola Oil “or “Imported Refined Rapeseed Oil low erucic acid” or both – alike “Imported Refined Rapeseed Oil low erucic acid Canola Oil ”
Answer: As per FSSAI guidelines on the labelling of Canola Oil, the labelling should be done in the following manner:
For solvent-extracted oil.
Imported Rapeseed – Low Erucic Acid Oil. Canola Oil
For refined vegetable oil:
Imported Refined Rapeseed – Low Erucic Acid Oil. Canola Oil
Question: I am getting Biscuits manufactured from third party and they have taken their own manufacturing license and they are doing packing for the same in my company brand? So, as a brand owner am I eligible to take FSSAI Registration or License? If yes, then while filling form B, under which category should I represent myself as there is no particular category for Brand owner?
Answer: You have to apply for the Registration/License under the category ‘Relabeller’. To check your eligibility for Registration/ State License / Central License, you can view the following links:
Question:We wish to import dietary food supplement product for treatment of advanced macular disease? We are new in this, so please guide us.
Answer: If in case you claim that your product is for the treatment of diseases then it cannot be treated as a food product and it will become drug so you have to apply for the drug license. But if it is a food product then you need to check if it complies with the requirements as stated in Food Safety and Standards (Health Supplements, Nutraceuticals, Food for Special Dietary Use, Food for Special Medical Purpose, Functional Food and Novel Food) Regulations, 2016.
Question:For non-retail food products (raw materials for food industry) – is there a need of Nutritional information, Veg & Non-Veg logo?
Answer: As per Food Safety & Standards Act, Rules & Regulations, the labelling guidelines apply to prepackaged food products. Nutritional information is not required for a single ingredient food. The guidelines for Veg & Non-Veg logo will also apply as per the food labelling regulations. Only exemption for not declaring the discussed information on the multipiece packages but the labelling information should be available on the wholesale packages.
Question:I am manufacturer and marketer for others’ product. For manufacturing, I have obtained a central license. For marketing of the others’ products, do I need to obtain any further license? If I have Branch Offices in More than one state then would the Central License be sufficient for my Registered Office?
Answer: You can apply for only one license and can club all the food business activities but the premises have to be the same. If you have multiple locations of your food business then you have to apply for the separate license for separate locations. The Central license is required for the Head Office/Registered office. But if you are operating in multiple states then you need to apply for the separate licenses for each of the location and the licensing criteria as whether you require a Central License or State License would be based on the turnover/production capacity.
Question:Sir, we are producing packaged drinking water and supplying the same to other party for sale. We are having our head office in Gujarat but production unit is situated at some other place in MP. I want to know which address I should give for Central License (Head office address or production plant address). Under which category the Packaged Drinking Water Comes?
Answer: For packaged drinking water unit, a mandatory BIS license as per IS 14543 is required to be taken. You can check for more details on http://www.bis.org.in/cert/requirementsis14543.htm. For food license as per FSS Act, Rules & Regulations, you have to apply for the Central license for your Head Office plus individual licenses for separate locations in different states as per the licensing criteria based on the production capacity. You have to file your application in Category: Manufacturing/Processing including sorting, grading etc.
Question: Can we use synthetic colour in tablet, capsule, sachet and liquid formulation in food?
Answer: You can use colours which have been approved under Food Safety & Standards Regulations and in the quantities approved. You need to follow the guidelines as specified under Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulation, 2011.
Question: What are the laboratory parameters (Physical, Chemical & Microbiological) that need to be tested for dry fruits such as Almonds, Pistachios, Raisins etc. as per FSSAI and at what frequency?
Answer: As per the regulations;
- The product shall be free from mould, living / dead insects, insect fragments and rodent contamination. The product shall be uniform in color with a pleasant taste and flavour characteristic of fruit /nut free from off flavour, mustiness, rancidity and evidence of fermentation. The product shall be free from added coloring.
- The products shall be tested for Metal Contaminants, Crop Contaminants & Naturally Occuring Toxin Substances, Pesticide Residues, Microbiological parameters for Yeast & Mould Count, Salmonella, Shigella, E.coli etc.
Food Safety Regulations suggest that FBOs should go for the testing of the food products at-least once in every six months.
