The Food Safety and Standards (Ayurveda Aahara) Regulations, 2022.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India on 5^th May 2022, has published the Food Safety and Standards (Ayurveda Aahara) Regulations, 2022  in accordance with Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. Ayurveda Aahara means a food prepared in accordance with the recipes or ingredients or processes as per method described in the authoritative books of Ayurveda listed under ‘Schedule A’ of these regulations including products which have other botanical ingredients in accordance with the concept of Ayurveda Aahara but does not include Ayurvedic drugs or proprietary Ayurvedic medicines and medicinal products, cosmetics, narcotic or psychotropic substances

Key highlights from the regulation:

• No person shall manufacture or sell Ayurveda Aahara intended for administration to infants up to the age of twenty-four months.
• The Food Business Operator shall manufacture Ayurveda Aahara in accordance with the Schedule 4 of the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulation, 2011.
• No person shall add vitamins, minerals and amino acids to Ayurveda Aahara: Provided that natural vitamins and minerals if present in the Ayurveda Aahara may be declared on the label.
• Food Business Operator may adopt the purity criteria for the ingredients as per the Food Safety and Standards Regulations or generally accepted by pharmacopoeias (namely, Indian Pharmacopoeia, Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India, British Pharmacopoeia, United States Pharmacopoeia), or relevant BIS Specifications, or Quality Standards of Indian Medicinal Plants as published by Indian Council of Medical Research.
• The labelling, presentation and advertisement shall not claim that the Ayurveda Aahara has the property of preventing, treating or curing a human disease or refer to such properties.
• Every label of Ayurveda Aahara shall specify the intended purpose, the target consumer group, recommended duration of use and other specific labelling requirements.
• The Food Business Operator shall inform the licensing authority in writing, if any, of his existing food products duly licensed to be assigned as an Ayurveda Aahara and the Licensing Authority shall within thirty days from the date of recommendation received from the Expert Committee, permit the same with applicable modifications including labelling as specified in these regulations.