FSSAI issues draft regulations to modify FSSR recounting stds for milk

FSSAI has released draft regulations to amend the Food Safety and Standards Regulations (FSSR), 2011, unfolding the standards for milk and milk products. One of the major issues addressed was that of the fat and solids non-fat (SNF) content in milk.

It was proposed that buffalo milk contain a minimum of six per cent fat in the states and Union Territories of Assam, Bihar, Chandigarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Punjab, Sikkim, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal and five percent fat in other states and Union Territories. It was recommended that the minimum SNF be nine per cent across the country.

The regulator stated that the fat composition for cow milk should be 3.5 per cent for all the states barring Odisha and Mizoram and the SNF comprosition should be 8.5 per cent. Milk obtained from goats and sheep should have fat ranging between three and 3.5 per cent and nine per cent SNF, while it was proposed that camel milk should contain three per cent fat and 6.5 per cent SNF across the country.

FSSAI also recommended that fat and SNF standards for mixed and standardised milk should be 4.5 and 8.5 per cent respectively, three and 8.5 per cent respectively for toned milk, 0.5 and 8.7 per cent respectively for skimmed milk, 1.5 and nine per cent respectively for double-toned milk and six and nine per cent respectively for full-cream milk.

The draft also defined milk and milk products.

• Milk was defined as the normal mammary secretion derived from the complete milking of a healthy milch animal, without either addition thereto or extraction therefrom, unless otherwise provided in these regulations and it shall be free from colostrums.
• Milk products were defined as products obtained by processing of milk, which may contain food additives and other ingredients functionally necessary for the milk product as permitted in these regulations, and shall include the following – cheese, chhanna, skimmed-milk chhanna, paneer, condensed milk (sweetened and unsweetened), condensed skimmed milk (sweetened and unsweetened), cream, curd, skimmed milk curd, dahi, ghee, butter oil, ice cream, infant milk food, khoya, malai, milk derivatives such as whey, casein, lactose, etc., milk ices, milk lollies, kulfi, milk powder, skimmed milk powder, partly-skimmed milk powder, processed cheese, table butter, white butter, yoghurt and any other product as may be specified in these regulations.

However, it also required that milk products shall not contain any substance not found in milk, unless specified in these regulations. The draft described the process of pasteurisation, recombined milk or milk products, reconstituted milk or milk products and probiotic milk, amongst others.

It also described the application of dairy terms that include general requirement and the use of the term milk and milk products, and the process of addition of essential nutrients and labelling the products.