FSSAI Proposes Draft Regulations For Special Dietary Food

Narendra Kumar

13 Jan, 2021

FSSAI and its Role:

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India FSSAI is an agency under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India plays a prominent role in the creation of food controlling procedure. It came into existence to ensure consumer Special Dietary Food safety and standards of food quality and promoting public health through the regulation and supervision of food safety^[1]. Some of the techniques need to be followed by the food manufacturer as it will help for human consumption. The agency has taken a lot of measures are administered by the agency to remove the hazardous and toxic substance. By packaging of the food products also speaks the quantity and quality of the food products. The aim of the food manufacturer is to build its goodwill by achieving the level of confidence of the consumers.

Now, the said agency recommends a draft Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards & Food Additives) Amendment Regulations, 2017. Which is related to special dietary food requirements? In the given time i.e. 30 days from the date of notification, the agency received suggestion or objections related to draft regulations, which was the18^th day of April 2017. And it will be published in the Official Gazette of India.

About Special Dietary Food:

These regulations are related to Spice, Condiments, Salt and other related products. Some modifications are included by Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011) and they are:

1. An agency is required to be added Salt related composition, it has certain standards related to salt constituents that need to be followed

2. Salt substitute might have

• Colloidal silica or calcium silicate: not more than 1% m/m of the salt substitute mixture, individually or in combination.
• Ingestionofliquefier must be safe and suitable nutritive foods e.g. sugars and cereal flour.

3. In accordance with the Food Safety and Standards Regulations, 2011. Iodine-containing compounds added to salt substitutes.
4. In the Salt substitute mixture, the Sodium content of salt substitutes should not be more than 120 mg/100 g.
5. In addition to the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labeling) Regulations, 2011, Salt substitutes should conform to the following specific labelling provisions

Following declarations should be present on the label:

• “Low sodium salt substitute” or “low sodium dietetic salt”.
• In the salt substitute mixture Number of cations (such as sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, ammonium, and choline/100 g (m/m).

Special Dietary Food with Low Sodium Content are as follows:

1. Special dietary food with low sodium-content is a special dietary food which has been processed without the addition of sodium salt an

• the content of sodium which is not more than one half of that of the comparable normal product as consumed
• and the sodium content of which is not more than 120mg/100 g of the final product as normally consumed;

1. A portion of special dietary food with very low sodium content which has been processed without adding sodium salts.

• The content of sodium, not more than one half of that of the comparable normal product as consumed;
• The content of sodium not more than 40 mg/100g of the final product as normally consumed.

• In addition to salt substitute for special dietary food, with low sodium content is permitted and shall be restricted by good manufacturing practice as provided under Food Safety and Standards Regulations, 2011.
• In addition to this, the content must conform to the following specific labelling provisions as per Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Regulations, 2011

Information to be shown on the label:

• The terms “low sodium” or “very low sodium” shall be declared on the label.
• The content of sodium to the nearest of multiple of 5 mg per 100 g and the amount of sodium consumed per serving shall be declared on the label.
• The content of carbohydrate, protein, and fat is 100 g of the product as normally consumed shall be declared on the label.
• The addition of the salt substitutes shall be declared on the label.
• Potassium must be expressed as mg cation per 100 g of the food as normally consumed, shall be declared on the label.
• The total amount of salt equivalent in terms of Sodium Chloride (NaCl) shall be declared on the label.
• Any specific condition for storage of food.

Impact of Draft Regulations on Special Dietary Food?

The draft regulations are intended under the following two sub-regulations:

• The composition of Salt Substitutes
• Special Dietary Food with Low Sodium Content

The FSSAI has made the regulations for better quality salt products for health-conscious people who don’t intake much sodium content in their food, and consumers are satisfied with this standard of FSSAI, the low sodium content will be safer and healthier for the people who are suffering from high blood pressure and heart disease.