A new standard could be set soon for garlic, multigrain, whole wheat and other speciality bread manufacturers
According to a recent report, the government plans to regulate the industry of bread manufacturers.
Currently, there are no specific standards in place for companies manufacturing these products. However, it has been stated that these products are now under the scrutiny of the Centre. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has sent a draft regulation to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to regulate five categories of bread including speciality breads.
The draft proposes regulating the standards for whole wheat bread, brown bread, white bread, multigrain bread, as well as 14 speciality breads, such as garlic bread, egg bread, oatmeal bread, milk bread, and cheese bread.
A notification will be issued after the draft gets the ministry’s approval and is open for public comments. Once the notification is finalised, the industry will be given handholding which will be followed by random sample checking.
Ashwin Bhadri, CEO of Equinox Labs said, “This is a welcome change. It is always good to keep consumers informed. It is true that at times consumers unknowingly spend a high amount of money on buying speciality breads without being aware of the actual content of the special ingredients.”
He further added, “Consumers have the right to know if they are buying garlic bread or multigrain bread, then does it actually contain a piece of garlic/grain or just a drop of it. Let’s hope this development will help consumers to get what they actually pay for.”