Fssai

Orkla India CEO backs FSSAI's push for front-of-pack labels on food

Leading packaged food firm Orkla India Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Sanjay Sharma has supported the sectoral watchdog FSSAI's proposed front-of-pack labelling norms, saying consumers have every right to know the nutritional details of the products they buy. Responding to PTI over a query on front-of-pack labelling (FOPL) initiatives, Sharma said the industry is aligned with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India's (FSSAI) intent to empower consumers to make informed choices as awareness levels continue to rise. Consumers deserve greater information about the products they consume, and the food industry is fully supportive of the food regulator FSSAI's push in this direction, said Sharma, who is engaged with industry body CII on this issue. "As an industry, I can tell you that the industry is very much with the regulator in this space where we want to ensure that, as the knowledge levels among consumers are rising, we should ensure that we give all the ...

Old Monk, flavouring, and the question of what makes your rum a rum

Old Monk's FSSAI dispute has put the spotlight on what goes into Indian rum and whisky, from neutral spirit and flavouring to distillation, blending and ageing

SC seeks FSSAI clarity on ultra-processed foods, FoPL nutrient thresholds

The Supreme Court has asked FSSAI to clarify nutrient thresholds, treatment of ultra-processed foods and the proposed design and rollout of front-of-pack warnings

Food safety law: Can authorities suspend a restaurant licence immediately?

Food safety authorities can suspend a restaurant licence over violations, but the law lays down a process for rectification, appeals and cancellation

Maharashtra FDA raids 11 food units in Thane, seizes 29 tonnes of stock

From unclean production areas to suspected licensing and labelling violations, FDA inspections at 11 Thane units found several food safety concerns

Follow regulations, do not mislead customers: FSSAI CEO to food companies

FSSAI CEO Rajit Punhani says food companies must comply with regulations and ensure labels accurately reflect products, as consumer complaints and state enforcement rise

From Maggi to Thums Up: How India became dependent on cheap packaged food

In a setback to the industry, the FSSAI said it could introduce tougher red warning labels on food that exceeds government-set limits ‌on added sugar, salt or saturated fat in one go

Supreme Court asks FSSAI where to draw line on food label warnings

Supreme Court asks food regulator to spell out quantitative thresholds and scientific basis for identifying packaged foods that would require front-of-pack warnings

Govt open to stricter red warnings on food packs in setback for companies

The announcement came as India's federal and state food regulators pursued an aggressive enforcement drive, with surprise raids on eateries uncovering poor hygiene and leading to many forced closures

FSSAI food warning label proposal faces challenge over 'two-nutrient' rule

FSSAI's proposed front-of-pack warning labels face a Supreme Court challenge over phased implementation, nutrient thresholds, sugar and fat metrics, and exemptions for honey and jaggery

Mumbai food safety crackdown: What FDA found at IRCTC kitchen, Iskcon Juhu

Inspections led by FDA commissioner Tukaram Mundhe uncovered poor sanitation, choked drains and gaps in food-safety records across several Mumbai establishments

Best of BS Opinion: Government must get real on spending

Today's opinions examine India's critical-minerals strategy, FSSAI's food-warning labels, Budget discipline, the RBI's dollar-rupee swaps and lessons from industrial policy

Red alert

Stringent food labelling is a good first step

Raids, shutdowns, warning labels: India's unprecedented food safety push

Intensified inspections, licence suspensions and a proposed front-of-pack warning label are putting restaurants and India's more than $100-bn packaged food industry under growing regulatory scrutiny

Indian health activists lodge concerns about food warning proposal in court

Proposal to implement red warning labels has jolted $100 bn packaged food ‌industry that long opposed such measures, but is also angering activists who have publicly criticised the plan as too lenient

Old Monk cannot be sold as 'Rum' under current label: FSSAI tells Bombay HC

The FSSAI said that Old Monk's label lists artificial and nature-identical rum flavouring substances that alter its natural characteristics

Food business crackdown sets off alarm bells, but is it start of a new era?

FSSAI's sweeping crackdown on food companies signals a tougher regulatory era, putting safety, labelling and advertising practices under sharper scrutiny

FSSAI cancels licences of two West Bengal-based firms for violation

Food regulator FSSAI has suspended licences of West Bengal-based companies, Kailash Formulation and Sanecure Water Project, for violation of laws related to hygiene and sanitation. In a social media post on Sunday, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) informed the action taken against these two companies. "Enforcement drives in South 24 Parganas, West Bengal, lead to the suspension of FSSAI licenses for Kailash Formulation and Sanecure Water Project due to severe violations of hygiene, sanitation, and compliance standards," the regulator said. On Kailash Formulation, the FSSAI said that the suspension order has been issued for non-conformance to compulsory food safety regulations. "Overall cleaning, hygiene and sanitation of the premises was found to be unsatisfactory. Lack of proper hand-washing, changing and hygiene facilities, along with missing medical examination, inoculation and personal hygiene records for food handlers," the FSSAI said. Moreover, FSSAI said

Popularity was never my goal, what matters is public health: Tukaram Mundhe

Maharashtra FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe, in the limelight for his sweeping food-safety crackdown across the state, has said that public health, and not personal popularity, is what matters most to him. Asked if his celebrity-like status following the aggressive food safety crackdown across the state is a distraction, Mundhe said, "It is not a distraction. Popularity was never my goal." "What matters to me are issues like public health. This is not about Tukaram Mundhe. This is about India and the goal to improve public health," the senior IAS officer told PTI in an interview. "The food and drugs sector affects public health. If that becomes a public agenda by my actions and role, I will be happy about it," Mundhe said Asked if his aggressive enforcement approach makes him vulnerable to political or administration pressure, Mundhe said, "It is not aggressive. I am doing what I am supposed to do diligently. I have been doing this across my two decades of public service." "I beli

FSSAI crackdown spooks food businesses, compliance queries up 40%

Consultants report a 40 per cent increase in compliance-related queries since July