INDIA – The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) in partnership with the Ministry of Ayush (MOA), has formulated regulations of safety and quality standards for food products under ‘Ayurveda Aahara’ category.
According to the regulation, manufacturing and marketing of ‘Ayurveda Aahara’ products will now adhere to strict Food Safety and Standards (Ayurveda Aahara) Regulations, 2022 rules and will be available in the market only after license/approval from FSSAI.
A special logo has been created for “Ayurveda Aahara” category, which will enable easier identification and reinforce the quality in Ayurveda food products.
This comprehensive initiative will ensure the manufacturing of quality Ayurveda food products and help in expanding the international market for Made-In-India products.
The Ministry of Ayush is confident these regulations will further strengthen India’s global positioning as a custodian of the Ayush system.
“The Ministry of Ayush acknowledges that food safety and quality is a shared responsibility between manufacturers, and consumers and everyone has a role to play to ensure food we consume is safe and healthy.
“This has been further strengthened after the resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic brought the focus on food, nutrition, health, immunity and sustainability,” said the Ministry.
As per the regulations, all food prepared in accordance with the recipes/ingredients/processes described in the authoritative books of Ayurveda will be considered as “Ayurveda Aahara”.
Food recipes and ingredients for promoting health, specific physiological needs, and foods specified for consumption during or post specified diseases, and disorders referred to as Pathya in Ayurveda, are covered under these regulations.
The labelling of ‘Ayurveda Aahara’ shall specify the intended purpose, the target consumer group, recommended duration of use and other specific requirements.
Health claims and disease risk reduction claims for the different categories of ‘Ayurveda Aahara’ and their approval process shall be in accordance with the requirements specified in regulations.
However, ‘Ayurveda Aahara’ will not include Ayurvedic drugs or proprietary Ayurvedic medicines and medicinal products, cosmetics, narcotic or psychotropic substances and herbs. Further, Ayurveda Aahara is also not recommended to young children below age 2 years.
The product category needs prior approval in accordance with the Food Safety and Standards (Approval for Non-Specific Food and Food Ingredients) Regulation, 2017.
FSSAI shall constitute an Expert Committee under the Ministry of Ayush consisting of relevant experts including representatives of FSSAI for providing recommendations on approval of claims and products.
The committee shall also address concerns regarding registration, licensing, certification, laboratory accreditation, testing or quality issues related to “Ayurveda Aahara”.
The regulators urged food business operators to adhere to quality parameters for the ingredients as per the criteria defined under Food Safety and Standards Regulations, relevant Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) specifications.
Liked this article? Subscribe to Food Safety Africa News, our regular email newsletters with the latest news insights from Africa and the World’s food safety, quality and compliance. SUBSCRIBE HERE
