New Guideline Of Min. 45 Days Expiry Date On Food Products Is Set By FSSAI Sold On E-Commerce & Quick-Commerce Food Providers

FSSAI's new expiry timeline comes amid mounting worries over food safety violations.

by Vrinda Arora
New Guideline Of Min. 45 Days Expiry Date On Food Products Is Set By FSSAI Sold On E-Commerce & Quick-Commerce Food Providers

Food safety and cautious consumption of packaged food are always a big deal. Before buying any food, everything should be checked, from nutritional facts to ingredients to the expiry date. Amid mounting worries over food safety violations, the Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) requires quick-commerce and e-commerce food providers to ensure a minimum shelf life of 30% or 45 days before products reach their expiry date at delivery time.

Reason Behind FSSAI’s New Expiry Timeline

In order to guarantee that delivery workers are knowledgeable about food safety and hygiene procedures, FSSAI Chief Executive Officer, G Kamala Vardhana Rao, encouraged more than 200 platforms and industry associations, such as Blinkit and Zepto, to set up comprehensive training programs for them, as reported by Business Standard.

In order to promote Food Safety Training & Certification (FoSTaC), the food safety agency has advised platforms to regularly perform health examinations for delivery executives. Furthermore, the regulators have underlined that in order to avoid contamination, food and non-food products must be delivered separately.

With the goal of preventing false information and defending customers’ access to precise product facts, the FSSAI has warned operators in the latest press release against making unsubstantiated claims online. According to the regulator, e-commerce platforms’ product claims must match the facts on the labels and adhere to the FSSAI’s Labelling and Display Regulations, which include labelling a product as healthy.

For the food e-commerce industry to safeguard consumer health and foster trust in online markets, it must be open, accountable, and compliant. Recently, authorities have expressed worry about food products that are close to expiring or do not carry expiration dates. The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has sent notices to e-commerce and quick-commerce companies for failing to display MRPs and “best before” dates for perishables, as reported by Business Standard.

Also Read: 31 Kerala-Made Snacks Declared Unhealthy By Karnataka FSSAI; Detects Use Of Artificial Colouring

More About FSSAI

FSSAI Expiry
Image Credit: Canva Pro

Under Food Safety and Standards, 2006, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) was created to compile several food-related laws and directives from different Ministries and Departments. In order to ensure that food is safe and healthy for human consumption, the FSSAI seeks to create science-based standards for food articles and regulate their production, storage, distribution, sale, and import.

Also Read: To Ensure Safety & Quality Of Prasadam, Bengaluru Ganesh Pandals Will Need FSSAI Certification

Next time, whenever you go out to buy food products, look at the expiry date first.

Cover Image Credit: Canva Pro

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First Published: November 13, 2024 4:38 PM