The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued a draft notification for regulating norms such as mis-labelling of ‘health supplements’. The food safety regulator has come out with gazetted rules proposing to ban the sale of such products as ‘medicines’. It has also framed rules for products based on Ayurveda, Sidhha, Unani and other traditional health systems.

The FSSAI has called for fixing of permissible limits of various ingredients used in products, which are based on traditional health systems. Under the proposed norms, companies cannot claim that their nutraceuticals and health supplement products are for therapeutic and curative purposes.

The FSSAI has also proposed the maximum usage levels for cow’s milk, buffalo’s milk, camel’s milk, ghee, curd, butter, honey, gold, gold foil, silver, pearl in ayurveda, siddha and unani ingredients-based products. It has also fixed limits, including maximum usage levels per day, in case of a health or food supplement based on ayurveda, siddha and unani.

FSSAI – Points to Remember

• The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is an agency of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India.
• The FSSAI is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the regulation and supervision of food safety.
• The FSSAI was established under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.

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