FSSAI issues gazette notification for shelf life of imported food

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) issued a gazette notification stating that the shelf life of imported food products should not be less than 60 per cent or three months, whichever is minimum.

These regulations may be called the Food Safety and Standards (Import) First Amendment Regulations, 2018.

It added that another provision, stating that, “The importer shall submit a certificate of sanitary export from the authorised agencies in the exporting countries for the categories of food as may be specified by the food authority from time to time”, had also been inserted.

Ajit Lagoo, vice-president, business development, Envirocare Labs Pvt Ltd, is an expert on the subject. Analysing the scenario, he said, “Overall the notification is welcome, because it will ensure safer products for Indian consumers.”

The above will help in the prioritisation of risks and effectively deal with high-risk products intended for import.

Lagoo said, “It will be beneficial to the industry, as it will eliminate malpractices considerably. Moreover, the products entering the Indian market will also be of a good quality.”

There is another aspect of this regulation, which is to motivate local manufacturers. This way the competition will be healthy.