The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued clarifications in respect of declarations of calorific value, allergen, nutritional information, etc. Food service establishments are required to make these declarations on their menu cards, or boards or booklets. This notice was issued on April 12, 2024.
Several food service establishments have represented to the FSSAI that licensing authorities are misinterpreting these requirements. In some cases, this misinterpretation has also lead to cancellation of licences.
What Information Must Be Displayed?
The FSSAI guidelines specify the following requirements:
Calorie Content
Calorie (kcal) content per serving must be displayed next to each menu item, along with the serving size. This information shall be displayed on menu cards, or boards or booklets.
Food Allergens
Menu cards or boards must clearly identify food allergens present in each dish.
Veg/Non-Veg Logos
Vegetarian and non-vegetarian symbols must be displayed next to menu items through menu cards or boards
Nutritional Information and Information on Organic Food/ Ingredients
This information shall be provided to consumers on request. It shall be provided in the form of handouts, booklets or on the food service establishment’s website.
E-Commerce Food Business Operators (FBOs)
E-commerce FBOs must get the above mentioned information from the respective food business operators and provide it on their website. FSSAI has directed e-commerce FBOs to enable these requirements on their platforms.
All of these requirements are applicable to restaurants with central licenses or ten or more outlets.
Hence, the FSSAI has clarified these aspects as follows:
| Serial Number | Information To Be Provided | Method of Divulging Information |
| 1 | Calorific Value | Menu cards, or boards or booklets |
| 2 | Food Allergens | Menu cards, or boards |
| 3 | Veg and Non-veg Logo | Menu cards, or boards |
| 4 | Other Nutritional Information and Organic Information | Booklets, or handouts or on website |
Hence, FSSAI has urged licensing authorities to adhere to these guidelines and avoid unnecessary actions against FBOs that are compliant with these requirements.
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