FSSAI proposes new standards for frozen veggies, jams

Food regulator FSSAI has proposed new standards for frozen vegetables and processed fruit products, including commonly used canned tomatoes, frozen peas and jams.

In a draft regulation, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has invited suggestions from all stakeholders.

"The framing of standards for new products is a continuous process. In this, we have drafted quality norms for commonly used frozen vegetables and fruit products," FSSAI CEO Pawan Agarwal told PTI.

According to the draft, standards have been framed for canned tomatoes, tomato juice, frozen beans, cauliflower, peas and spinach. Similarly, the regulator has come out with benchmarks for jams, fruit jellies and marmalades.

The standards relate to limits for metallic contaminants in these products.

In the draft, FSSAI has specified that these products will have to follow the packaging and labelling norms of the regulator. Food additives used in these products should be permitted by the regulator.

Recently, FSSAI came out with a host of initiatives to promote safe food at homes, schools, offices, eateries and religious places, besides a national survey for assessing milk quality.

The idea of launching the 10 new initiatives is to create "a culture of food safety" in the country.

Commemorating the 10th anniversary of enactment of the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, FSSAI had said the new initiatives would focus on safe and nutritious food at home, school, workplace, religious places, on trains and railway stations, at restaurants and other places.

FSSAI will provide a green book to every household and create a dedicated website for safe/nutritious food at home.

Similarly, for schools, it will prepare a negative list of high fat, sugar and salt foods (commonly referred to as junk food), seeking to ensure food safety and nutrition. It plans to make licence from FSSAI compulsory for food businesses involved in mid-day meal scheme.