Major Amendments To Food Additives By FSSAI

The FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) makes new regulations and improvises the existing ones from time to time to exercise strict control over food quality. The amendments are not only for foods, but also for additives in packaged foods that are not consumed like foods, nor used as an ingredient of the food, and may or may not have any nutritive value. Their addition to foods for a technological reason (such as its organoleptic properties) during the process of manufacturing, processing, treatment, packaging, or transport of the food may result in a change in the characteristics of such food. Food additives do not include contaminants or substances that are added to the food to maintain or improve its nutritional value. The amended versions of the data regarding food additives have to be used throughout the manufacturing, labelling, and packaging processes.¹

Tenth amendment on food additives, 2018^1,2

Following are some of the clauses that have been inserted in the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulation 2011 as per the 10^th amendment on food additives:

1. Amendments in Appendix A:
2. Under the heading ‘I. FOOD CATEGORY SYSTEM’

Before amendments	After amendments
Food category 1: Dairy products and analogues, excluding products of food category 2.0
1.3 Condensed milk and its analogues (plain) 1.3.1 Plain condensed milk 1.3.2 Beverage whiteners	The following sentence has been added after 1.3.2: “1.3.2.1 Non – dairy based beverage whitener”
1.5 Plain cream and milk powder and powder analogues 1.5.1 Plain cream and milk powder 1.5.2 Cream and milk powder analogues	The following has been added after 1.5.1: “1.5.1.1 Dairy based dairy whitener”.
Food category 11: Sweeteners, including honey
11.1.5 Plantation or mill white sugar Purified and crystallized sucrose.	The following has been inserted after 11.1.5 in the food category system: “11.1.6 Gur or Jaggery 11.1.6.1 Cane Jaggery or Gur 11.1.6.2 Palm Jaggery or Gur 11.1.6.3 Date Jaggery or Gur”

 

1. Under the heading ‘II. FOOD CATEGORY DESCRIPTIONS’

Before amendments	After amendments
Food category 1: Dairy products and analogues, excluding products of food category 2.0
1.3.2.1 Dairy based dairy whitener Milk or cream constituting of milk protein and lactose	The section 1.3.2.1 in should be omitted
1.5 Plain cream and milk powder and powder analogues 1.5.1 Plain cream and milk powder 1.5.2 Cream and milk powder analogues	The following has been added after 1.5.1: “1.5.1.1 Dairy based dairy whitener”.
Food category 11: Sweeteners, including honey
11.1.5 Plantation or mill white sugar Purified and crystallized sucrose.	The following has been inserted after 11.1.5 in the food category system: “11.1.6 Gur or Jaggery 11.1.6.1 Cane Jaggery or Gur 11.1.6.2 Palm Jaggery or Gur 11.1.6.3 Date Jaggery or Gur”

 

2. Under the heading “IV. USE OF FOOD ADDITIVES IN FOOD PRODUCTS”

Amendments added, substituted, or omitted are expressed in bold in the table

	Dairy products and analogues, excluding products of category 2.0
Food Category System (1)	Food Category Name (2)	Food Additive (3)	INS No. (4)	Recommended Maximum Level (5)	Note (6)
1.5.2	Powder analogues	Phosphates		4,400 mg/kg	“88, 36” has been replaced with “88, 33”.
1.6.1	Unripened cheese	Annatto	“160b” has been replaced with “160b(i) and (ii)”	GMP
1.6.2.1	Ripened cheese includes rind	Hexamethylene tetramine	239	25 mg/kg	“66, 298” has been inserted
1.8.2	“Dried whey and whey products, excluding whey cheeses whey powder” has been replaced with “Dried whey and whey products, excluding whey cheeses”	No other amendments are made in 1.8.2	No other amendments are made in 1.8.2	No other amendments are made in 1.8.2	No other amendments are made in 1.8.2
2.1.1	Butter oil, anhydrous milk fat and ghee (no additives in case of ghee)	Ascorbyl esters		500 mg/kg	10 (Previously it was 10, 171; 171 is now omitted in the amendment)
2.2.2	Fat spreads, dairy fat spreads and blended spreads (margarine, Bakery shortenings and fat spreads)	Thiodipropionates		200 mg/kg	46
		The following has been inserted: “Sucrose oligoesters, Type I and Type II”	It has been added: 473a	It has been added: 10,000 mg/kg	It has been added: 348, 360
		The following has been inserted: “Sucrose esters of fatty acids”	It has been added: 473	It has been added: 10,000 mg/kg	It has been added: 348, 360
		The following has been inserted: “Poly glycerol esters of fatty acid”	It has been added: 475	It has been added: 5,000 mg/kg	It has been added: 359

 

The note in column six indicates the following:

10: As ascorbyl stearate

33: As phosphorous

36: On the residual basis

46: As thiodipropionic acid

66: As formaldehyde

88: As a result of carryover from the ingredient

171: Excluding anhydrous milk fat

298: For use in provolone cheese only

348:

359:

360:

Every manufacturer and supplier should adhere to the amendments to ensure that the quality of the food made is as per the FSSAI regulations.

References

1. The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006:5-6. Accessed on Oct 31, 2018.
2. Gazette notification no. File No. 1/Additional Additives/Stds/Notification/FSSAI/2016 on “Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Tenth Amendment Regulation, 2018” for making provisions for new food additives. Uploaded Nov 16, 2018. Available at: https://www.fssai.gov.in/dam/jcr:f7c2a32f-ddb8-4c1d-b95e-335639191c37/Gazette_Notification_Additives_16_11_2018.pdf Accessed on Dec 06, 2018.