The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has announced amendments to the Food Safety and Standards (Contaminants, Toxins and Residues) Regulations, 2011.
It may be recalled that FSSAI had previously published draft amendment regulations specifically focusing on pesticide residues.
Now, by the present draft regulations, the FSSAI seeks to revise limits of metal contaminant, crop contaminants and naturally occurring toxic substances and antibiotics.
Key Changes Introduced by the Draft Amendment
Metal Contaminants
The draft specifies the following updates to metal contaminants in food:
- Revised maximum limits (MLs) for lead in pulses and pulse flours.
- Clarified MLs for arsenic in edible fats and oils.
- Introduced a note regarding arsenic testing in fish oils.
- Updated MLs for cadmium in pulses and pulse flours.
Crop Contaminants and Naturally Occurring Toxic Substances
The draft amendment regulations also modify the table for total aflatoxins and aflatoxin B1 in oilseeds and oils. Additionally, they introduce a new entry for saffrole in the table for naturally occurring toxic substances.
Interestingly, safrole is a member of the class of benzodioxoles. It is found in several plants, including black pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Hence, the draft proposes that beverages and foods containing mace and/ or nutmeg kernel as an ingredient shall not contain more than 10ppm of saffrole
Antibiotic Limits in Sea Food
In relation to antibiotic and other pharmacologically active substances, the draft regulation proposes to omit the clause specifying the tolerance limits for Tetracycline, Oxolinic acid, Oxytetracycline and Trimethoprim in shrimps, prawns or any other variety of fish and fishery products. However, it includes a limit for Trimethoprim in sea foods including shrimps, prawns or any other variety of fish and fishery products. This limit is proposed to be 0.05mg/ kgs.
The draft amendment regulations also propose to create additional entries for antimicrobials and
other drugs used in veterinary practices. In respect of this, it has proposed that oxolinic acid in sea foods including shrimps, prawns or any other variety of fish and fishery products have a tolerance limit of 0.3mg/ kg.
The FSSAI has invited comments and suggestions on these draft regulations. Interested stakeholders can submit their feedback by November 22, 2024. This feedback shall be provided on FSSAI’s e-platform for comments in the prescribed format.
