According to a survey conducted by the Food Safety Standard Authority of India (FSSAI), almost 15% of these products floating in the market are not meeting the standards and are unsafe to consume.
About Survey
Nearly 15% of food items including protein powders, and dietary supplements used by athletes and bodybuilders sold in India were found to be unsafe for consumption or substandard, a survey by the Food Safety Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) has found.
The regulator’s survey got that 4,890 out of 144,345 samples collected during 2021-22 were unsafe for consumption, and 16,582 were substandard. More than 11,482 samples had labeling defects and misleading information.
Problem With the Product
Consuming unsafe protein powders, commonly used by young people to build muscle mass, can harm kidneys, liver, and heart and cause other health issues. FSSAI has notified specific rules to regulate the production and sale of protein powders and other dietary supplements in India.
The food regulator regularly monitors food business operators, including protein powder manufacturers, by conducting drives across states.
Health experts said that dietary supplements have seen increased demand in recent decades globally, including in India. Many young people, especially athletes, use these products to build muscle. However, many of these so-called dietary supplements can be harmful to the body.
Dr. H. Jauhari, chairman of the kidney transplant department at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital.
We do see young boys coming to us with kidney-related problems who wish to have a masculine body. Boys are between 20-30 years of age mostly. When we ask about their lifestyle pattern, they inform us that tell us that they go to the gym and consume protein powder after being recommended by their gym trainer. However, there is no direct link, but lifestyle pattern indicates a common thing in the consumption of protein supplements. We do ask such patients to stop the intake of these protein powders immediately,
According to researcher IMARC Group, the Indian dietary supplements market is expected to grow to ₹84,790 crores by 2027 from ₹37,630 crores in 2021.
Action Taken
In light of the results, FSSAI launched 4,946 criminal cases and many other civil cases. The authority has also initiated civil cases in 28,906 instances, resulting in the punishment of 19,437 offenders and the imposition of a penalty of ₹53.39 crore.
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