FSSAI makes display of mfg, best before date on sweets sold loose must

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued an order asking sweet or mithai…

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued an order asking sweet or mithai shops in the country to display date of manufacturing and best before date for sweets or mithais sold in the open.

This order shall come into effect from June 1, 2020, it is learnt.

The order stated, “In the interest of general public health and to ensure food safety, it has been decided that in case of non-packaged or loosely sold sweets, the container or tray holding sweets at the outlet for sale should display ‘Date of Manufacturing’ and ‘Best Before Date’ of the product.”

Explaining the new order, Parveen Jargar, Joint Director, Regulatory Compliance division, FSSAI, pointed out that several complaints were received by FSSAI about stale sweets being sold to customers by many sweet shops in the country and while the prepackaged food products do mention ‘Date of Manufacturing’ and ‘Best Before Date,’ same was not happening in case of sweets sold loosely.

“In case of prepackaged sweets, the ‘Date of Manufacturing’ and ‘Best Before Date’ of the products must be mentioned on their labels as per the FSS Packaging and Labelling Regulations, 2011. So keeping in view public interest, and to ensure food safety of loosely sold sweets, it was decided that non- packaged sweets should also carry Date of Manufacturing and Best Before Date on the container and this order will be effective from June 1, 2020,” he said.

The FSSAI has directed all food businesses involved in manufacturing and open sales of sweets to comply with the order and urged the state food safety departments to ensure compliance of this directive.