FSSAI ‘voluntary' rule prompts Pune sweet shops to stop displaying expiry dates on items, poses health risks
The lack of transparency has raised health concerns, especially after Pune's iconic Good Luck Cafe's licence was suspended temporarily last Sunday over hygiene issues following the detection of a glass piece in a bun maska.
'Sweets, especially milk-based ones, have a limited shelf life and are prone to microbial growth. Consuming expired or stale sweets can lead to food poisoning, headaches, vomiting, gastrointestinal problems, and other digestive issues,' says Dr Neha Patil, a medical practitioner residing at Akurdi.
'Earlier in 2020, after the FSSAI mandate, it became easy to choose mithai based on its freshness. Now, except for a few, in the majority of the sweet shops, the 'best-before date' information is not mentioned. Moreover, even the price tags are missing in many places. This deprives consumers of the ability to make informed choices about the freshness and quality of the sweets they are purchasing,' said Rohan Jadhav, a resident of Dange Chowk.
The Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011, introduced the provision of the 'best-before date'. The 2011 regulations were replaced by the Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations in 2020.
But the mandate was made 'voluntary' from November 2023 after the FSSAI decided that the scientific panel needs to deliberate further on the declarations of dates on non-packaged or loose products. Since then, the sweet shop owners are rarely seen displaying the said information, affecting transparency and health risk.
When asked about the date display, Kumar (name changed), a sweet shop owner from Nigdi, said, 'As per the revised decision, it is now as per our will to mention manufacturing and best-before date. The FDA officials also rarely ask us about the same, so we decided to remove the information from the tags.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
11 hours ago
- Business Standard
Regulators vital to ensure quality in processed foods: Chirag Paswan
Union Minister Chirag Paswan on Wednesday said regulatory authorities like the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) have an important role to play in promoting processed food in the country by ensuring adherence to quality standards. The minister was speaking at the curtain raiser for World Food India, being organised by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI), Government of India, from September 25 to 28 in New Delhi. 'We continue to believe that only fresh food is good for health,' he said, adding that in times like these—when misleading advertisements and fake narratives are rampant—it is important to dispel untruths about the food processing industry. 'It is believed that if a food product is processed, it has lost nutrition and quality, which needs to change. We are talking about adding value to the food by processing,' he said. 'Our regulatory bodies, like the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, play an important role in ensuring that processed foods reaching the table are not harmful to health.' 'For a farmer-dependent country, food processing can lead to increased incomes for farmers along with creating job opportunities for the country's youth,' he further said. The fourth edition of World Food India 2025 is set to be the largest yet, with participation expected from over 90 countries, more than 2,000 exhibitors, and thousands of stakeholders spanning the entire food value chain from farm to fork. The minister also unveiled the publicity brochure, website, and app for the upcoming event.
Economic Times
3 days ago
- Economic Times
Top health agencies recommend daily sugar, ghee & oil intake limits to fight heart disease, diabetes,& more: Here's how much you need
Synopsis To combat rising lifestyle diseases, the Indian government, in collaboration with ICMR-NIN and FSSAI, will launch a nationwide campaign promoting reduced sugar and oil consumption. Posters in schools, colleges, and government offices will advise limiting daily intake to 25 grams of sugar and 30 grams of oil, ghee, or butter. Soon, posters advising Indians to cut down on sugar and oil intake will be seen across schools, colleges and central government offices. These model posters are designed by Hyderabad-based ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) in collaboration with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).According to a TOI report, the daily cap is now 25 grams of sugar (about five teaspoons) and 30 grams of oil, ghee, or butter (roughly six teaspoons), based on a standard 2,000-calorie diet. These changes come as part of the Union health ministry's latest move to fight growing cases of lifestyle-related illnesses like diabetes and heart problems. A senior NIN scientist told TOI that earlier, the limit for sugar was 50 grams per day, but it's now been halved to 25 grams due to rising health concerns. 'One 500 ml soft drink is enough to exceed your daily sugar limit,' he posters will be put up not just in government bodies but also in CBSE and ICSE schools across the country. This is especially important for students, as India has a large adolescent population that is increasingly exposed to high-fat, high-sugar dietician Dr Swetha A, also from Hyderabad, pointed out that sugar and oil are often consumed without us realising it. 'Sugar is added to tea, coffee, and sometimes even to vegetables. Foods like biscuits, honey and processed snacks sneak in more sugar,' she said. She added that oils too are hidden, in nuts, seeds, dairy and even processed items. 'People also add ghee to chapatis, rice, and dough. That adds to the total fat unknowingly,' she said. Swetha recommends using a variety of oils in small amounts for better NIN scientist said that even small changes, like using one-fourth of a teaspoon less oil a day, can help reduce overall intake for a family. He also said it's not just about weight anymore, but about keeping body fat percentage in Avula Laxmaiah, a retired NIN scientist, said that poor eating is only one part of the problem. 'Lack of physical activity is just as bad,' he said. He also pointed out that Asian Indian genes are more likely to store fat, making us more prone to lifestyle central health ministry says the idea behind this awareness drive is to reduce non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and certain cancers.A 2025 study published in The Lancet predicts that the number of obese adults in India will jump from 18 crore in 2021 to nearly 45 crore by 2050, making India the second most affected country in the world. Inputs from TOI
Time of India
3 days ago
- Time of India
489 convicted for food adulteration in 3 months
Jaipur: In the first quarter of the financial year 2025-26, as many as 489 people have been convicted by courts for food adulteration, and only 10 acquitted, out of 499 such cases decided, according to health department's official figures. In the previous financial year (2024-25), health department filed 3,141 cases related to food adulteration in courts across the state, in which the courts acquitted just 30 accused, while the rest were convicted for food adulteration. In the first quarter of the current financial year, the department conducted 3,432 inspections against the target of 2,820 inspections. In 2024-25, the department had conducted 13,613 inspections against a target of 11,160. A health department official said, "We are continuously conducting inspections of food establishments. Upon food samples failing safety tests, we are presenting the cases to courts." Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) recently praised the state for efforts to prevent adulteration through sampling actions and public awareness campaigns. The ongoing campaign against adulteration in the state has increased public awareness and is effectively curbing adulteration, it noted. However, the concern is the pendency of cases that still have to be filed in courts. In April, May, and June this year, the department filed 998 cases but is yet to file 1,583 cases related to food adulteration and other violations of the Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Act, 2006. In Jaipur alone, 297 cases are yet to be filed in courts. FSSAI has emphasised the importance of concluding adjudication cases within 90 days of the first hearing of the case, as mandated by the FSS Act 2006. From April 2024 to March 2025, 18,213 food samples were collected in the state. Among these, 863 were found unsafe, 3,734 substandard, and 131 misbranded.
