Food Safety Helpline Queries

Question:?Can I sell my products in other states, if I have a state?FSSAI licence? I am going to sale through existing retailers and not through my own shops. I am starting a food business (Agri products) and confused with whether I should take central or state licence?

Answer:?If your annual turnover is less than 20 crores then you can apply for a state license. The central license is required to be taken when you have an annual turnover of more than 20 crores Or when you have your food establishments in more than one state. And remember, separate licenses will have to be acquired for separate food business premises.

Question:Can we mention on the label of a food product like “Pure Cholocate” or “Pure Milk”?

Answer:?May be on a single ingredient food, you can write but not on a combination of two food ingredients.

Question: We are instant tea premix manufacture which comes under proprietary food category, as per FSSAI rules please let us know which are the applicable Indian standards or test methods for proprietary food?

Answer:??FSSAI has introduced the standards for instant tea through a recent amendment on July 26, 2021. FBOs need to comply with the provisions of this recent notification from February 1, 2022. You can go through the definition and the guidelines mentioned in the following link on Page 408, regulation no. 2.10.1 (4):>

Compendium_Food_Additives_Regulations_02_08_2021.pdf (fssai.gov.in)

You can also read for?Proprietary Food?in the above-mentioned link.

Question : What is the maximum shelf-life which one can claim for the?Pasteurized Milk?(Standardized, Toned and Double Toned) by FSSAI?

Answer:?FSSAI does not say anything on the shelf life of any food product including Milk. The information on the shelf life/stability is always given by the FBOs based on the stability studies conducted through an owned or a?NABL accredited/FSSAI notified lab.

Question:?We are serving (cooked material) to our employees on a no-profit no-loss basis. Do we need a Food License for this activity?

Answer:?If you are preparing/processing the food in your own premises then those premises have to be licensed/registered under FSS Act, 2006. If you are serving the food but that food is sourced from outside even then you have to register your food activity and also have to ensure that your vendor should have a valid license/registration in compliance to FSS Act, Rules & Regulations.

Question: Can I run a food manufacturing business (Chivda) from home and get a food license? Is it mandatory that the premises have to be commercial? What documents and other permissions are required?

Answer:?There are certain approvals like municipality by-laws etc. which you might have to take in addition to obtain a food license.?The food authority has separate criteria which are not limited to whether you have a commercial property or a residential?one but food authority may ask for a NOC from your neighbourhood like; if you are living in a society flat etc. FSSAI Licensing/Registration is done online so you can read through the instructions and apply online on the following link:

FoSCoS – FSSAI

Question: What is the meaning when we say any food additive should be present as per GMP?

Answer:?In a general sense, GMP means; The minimum quantity which is necessary to be added to acquire the required technological function. The Food Safety & Standards Act, Rules & Regulations define GMP for food additives as;

• The quantity of the additive added to food shall be limited to the lowest possible level necessary to accomplish its desired effect;
• The quantity of the additive that becomes a component of food as a result of its use in the manufacturing, processing or packaging of a food and which is not intended to accomplish any physical, or other technical effects in the food itself, is reduced to the extent reasonably possible; and,
• The additive is of appropriate food grade quality and is prepared and handled in the same way as a food ingredient.

Question: I have come across a milk sample with 10% fat and 10.2% SNF, is it possible to have such values without adulteration?

Answer:?First of all, it has to be ascertained whether it is a?milk fat or non-milk fat?then one should be able to further analyse this. Regarding Milk Fat; Rarely but the buffalo milk fat can have such values when the animal feed is very rich in the diet.