FSSAI to conduct sampling of major spice and infant nutrition brands in India

India's food regulator, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), will conduct sampling of major spice and infant nutrition brands in India, a senior government official told Mint. The move follows two separate reports of alleged food violations by brands in spices and infant nutrition categories, as per reports.

FSSAI has deployed state food commissioners and issued orders for samples of major spice brands to be taken from their manufacturing units pan-India, the official said. These samples will be sent to accredited testing labs to detect pesticide ethylene oxide, as per the reports.

Following reports of presence of added sugars in Nestlé’s Cerelac brand of baby cereals, the regulator has also initiated collection of samples of multiple infant nutrition brands sold in the market to test for added sugars.

The move follows an investigation by Public Eye, a Swiss investigative organization, and the International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN), which claimed that all Cerelac baby cereal products sold by Nestle in India contain added sugar—on average nearly 3 gm per serving.

“While the findings are global, we have to see if they violate our local rules," the person added.

India’s food regulator permits use of lactose and glucose polymers as “preferred carbohydrates" for food for infant nutrition.

“Sucrose and/or fructose shall not be added, unless needed as a carbohydrate source, and provided the sum of these does not exceed 20 per cent of total carbohydrate," per the Food Safety and Standards (Foods for Infant Nutrition) Regulations, 2020.

FSSAI will sample and test multiple brands of infant nutrition being sold in the market.

Nestlé India has stated that its products manufactured in India are in “full and strict compliance" with global food standards and local specifications pertaining to the requirements of all nutrients—including added sugars.

“Compliance is an essential characteristic of Nestlé India and we will never compromise on that. We also ensure that our products manufactured in India are in full and strict compliance with CODEX standards (a commission established by WHO and FAO) and local specifications (as required) pertaining to the requirements of all nutrients including added sugars," a company spokesperson said.

Over the past five years, the company has reduced added sugars by up to 30 percent, across its infant cereal range, depending on the variant, the spokesperson said.