The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has directed manufacturers of sweets to refrain from outdoor cooking practices as they can expose food and raw materials to environmental contaminants and pose risks to food safety.
The advisory has been issued ahead of the festive season following a meeting with sweet manufacturers and associations from across the country. The meeting, organised earlier this week, was attended by more than 150 Food Business Operators (FBOs).
They were also sensitised to focus on testing and to ensure purchase of raw materials especially milk, khoa, ghee, paneer etc. only from vendors registered/licensed by FSSAI. The FBOs were advised to follow safe display practices for loose sweets.
The FSSAI is a statutory body under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, established under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, which is a consolidating statute related to food safety and regulation in India.
“In view of the upcoming festive season, FSSAI convened a meeting with Indian sweets manufacturers to emphasise on the compliance to be followed to ensure safety and quality of edibles and raw materials,” said a communication issued by the authority.
It added that the meeting was focused on sensitising the ecosystem regarding the perishable high risk edibles to ensure safe food throughout the touch points, including manufacturing, storage, distribution and point of sale to the consumer.
The FSSAI has noted that all FBOs are required to monitor the quality of oil during frying by complying with the food regulations and check adulteration in raw materials, especially milk and milk products viz. khoa, paneer, ghee which are more susceptible to adulteration and contamination during the high consumption season.
According to the FSSAI, the meeting concluded with a collective appeal to all stakeholders, urging them to take unified action to ensure the production of safe and quality sweets for consumers, particularly during the coming festive season.
