BATTLING THE THREAT OF ADULTERATION !

The Indian Food Law, FSS (Packaging and Labelling) Regulations,2011,notified by FSSAI, defines the terms like, Date of Manufacture, Date of Packing, Best Before Date and Use by Date. The Regulation makes it mandatory that the information about the Date of manufacture or packing and Best Before or Use By Date has to be mentioned on the label on the package of the food product.

The regulations define:

a) “Date of manufacture” means the date on which the food becomes the product.

b) “Date of packaging” means the date on which the food is placed in the immediate container in which it will be ultimately sold;

c) “Best before” means the date which signifies the end of the period under any stated storage conditions during which the food shall remain fully marketable and shall retain any specific qualities for which express claims have been made and beyond that date, the food may still be perfectly safe to consume, though its quality may have diminished. However, the food shall not be sold if at any stage the product becomes unsafe.

d) “Use by date” or “Recommended last consumption date” or “Expiry date” means the date which signifies the end of the estimated period under any stated storage conditions, after which the food probably will not have the quality and the safety attributes normally expected by the consumers and the food shall not be sold.

Adulteration of food commonly defined as “the addition or subtraction of any substance to or from food, so that the natural composition and quality of food substance is affected."

“Adulterant” means any material which is or could be employed for making the food unsafe or sub-standard or mis-branded or containing extraneous matter.

Food is declared adulterated if:

✓A substance is added which depreciates or injuriously affects it.

✓Cheaper or inferior substances are substituted wholly or in part.

✓Any valuable or necessary constituent has been wholly or in part abstracted.

✓It is an imitation.

✓It is colored or otherwise treated, to improve its appearance or if it contains any added substance injurious to health.

 The Standard Adulterated food is dangerous because it may be toxic and can affect health and it could deprive nutrients essential for proper growth and development.Always check the label of packaged food for MRP, expiry date and Beware of adulteration.

_Stay Smart ! Stay Satark!_

                          By - Mahi Pal and Kajal