FSSAI advises E-Commerce Food Business Operators (FBOs) on Tuesday to ensure appropriate categorization of food products being sold on their websites.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has observed cases of food items licensed as ‘Proprietary Food’ in the categories of Dairy-Based Beverage Mix, Cereal-Based Beverage Mix, or Malt-Based Beverage being marketed as ‘Health Drink’, ‘Energy Drink’, etc. on e-commerce platforms, as per their statement.
FSSAI has provided clarification that the term ‘Health Drink’ is not officially defined or regulated within the FSS Act 2006 or its associated rules and regulations.
As a result, FSSAI has recommended all e-commerce Food Business Operators directly address this category by removing or separating such drinks or beverages from the ‘Health Drinks / Energy Drinks’ category on their websites, and instead categorize them according to the appropriate classifications outlined in current legislation.
‘Proprietary Foods’ are food products that do not adhere to the standard regulations of the Food Safety and Standards (Food Product Standards and Food Additives) Regulation, as well as the Food Safety and Standards (Health Supplements, Nutraceutical, Food for Special Dietary Use, Food for Special Medical Purpose, Functional Food, and Novel Food) Regulations. However, these products do utilize standardized ingredients.
FSSAI has clarified that the selection “Energy Drinks” is authorized for use only on products falling under Food Category System (FCS) 14.1.4.1 and 14.1.4.2 (Carbonated and Non-carbonated water-based flavored drinks) as per the specifications outlined in sub-regulation 2.10.6 (2) of the Food Product Standards and Food Additives Regulations 2011 (Caffeinated Beverage).
This corrective action intends to improve the clarity and transparency of product information, enabling consumers to make informed decisions without being exposed to deceptive information.
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