The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India or the FSSAI has recently issued an important directive to the food business operators or FBOs. The FSSAI directive pertains to the claims made in advertisements and labels of fruit juices which are often found to be misleading. In order to prevent such malpractices that mislead consumers, the FSSAI is putting some rules in place. Here are all of the important details that you would need to know about this directive.
FSSAI Directs FBOs To Remove This Claim From Fruit Juice Labels
According to an article which was recently published by Moneycontrol, this directive was passed on Monday, June 3. As per the directive, any claims for “100 per cent fruit juice” made on labels or advertisements of reconstituted juices must be removed immediately.
In a statement made by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, it was highlighted that many FBOs use the claim inaccurately. They market reconstituted juices as 100 per cent fruit juice. This is misleading since the majority of the juice is water and the claimed primary ingredient is present only in limited concentrations.
In addition to this, the FSSAI has also mentioned that FBOs have until September 1 to utilise their old packaging. After that, their labels must be revised if what they’re selling is more accurately described as reconstituted fruit juices.
Labels Must Mention “Reconstituted” And “Sweetened Juice”
What is more, these revised labels must have the word “reconstituted” on them. Furthermore, if the juice has more than 15 grams of sweeteners per kilogramme, it must be labelled as “sweetened juice.”
These directives tackle a salient issue of misleading consumers. Companies often get away with labelling even the unhealthiest food items as healthy. Hence, these directives ensure that they have some accountability for the kind of words they use on labels.
Fruit juices are also commonly given to children. Hence, it is all the more important to know whether the ingredients used are healthy or not.
Also Read: Sri Ganesh Juice & Chats In Bengaluru Serves Chaat With Dry Fruits And We Love It!
Do you agree with these directives? Aren’t these measures long overdue? Let us know in the comments section below!
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