FSSAI has notified the food standards and  additives regulations, revising the existing and adding new standards relating to the fruit and vegetable categories. The apex regulator has instructed stakeholders to submit their comments and suggestions within a month’s time.

As per the draft, these standards have been proposed in context of harmonisation with those of Codex for better trade practices as well as to effectively regulate specified food commodities for their quality and safety. The draft standards shall be reviewed based on the comments received for stakeholders and revised, if necessary.

On one hand, new standards for date paste, fermented soybean paste, vegetable  protein products, harissa (red hot pepper paste), quick frozen French fried potatoes, canned chestnuts and canned chestnut puree, edible fungus products and ginger (sonth/adrak) have been added.

And on the other, the existing standards for cocoa mass or cocoa/chocolate liquor, cocoa cake, thermally-processed fruit salad/cocktail/mix, cocoa powder, ginger (sonth/adrak) powder and tomato ketchup and tomato sauce have been revised.

Under the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011, in Regulation 2.3 relating to fruit and vegetable products, after Sub-regulation 2.3.55, Clauses 56 to 62 have been added.

Date paste

Date paste has been described as product prepared from fruits of the date palm (Phoenix) that are sound, consistent in colour and texture, harvested at the stage of maturity, washed, pitted and capped. It shall be soft and have no alteration in smell and flavour. No additives are allowed in the product.

Quick frozen French fried potatoes

Quick frozen French fried potatoes is the product prepared from clean, mature and sound tubers of the potato plant of the species Solanum tuberosum L and Solanum Andigena L.and rhizomes of the sweet potato of the species Ipomoeabatatas.