The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is committed to a strict regulatory framework for vegan food in the country. It has required manufacturers of such products to display the logo specified by the authority for easier recognition and to ensure the traceability of the products. PFood products labeled vegan must not have undergone animal testing for any purpose, including safety evaluation, unless provided by a regulatory agency, FSSAI notices. roducts down to the manufacturer level.
After coming out with the draft regulations for public comments in September 2021, the FSSAI issued the Food Safety and Standards (Vegan Foods) Regulations, 2022 earlier this month. In addition, vegan food vendors must store and present the products exclusively or as part of the merchandise in a manner that is distinguishable from non-vegan foods. The regulator has also ruled that no vegan food products can be imported except with a certificate issued by the recognized authorities of the concerned exporting countries.
According to the watchdog, vegan food means the food or food ingredients, including additives, flavorings, enzymes, carriers, or processing aids that are not products of animal origin and in which, at any stage of production and processing, ingredients are of animal origin. Origin is used. The FSSAI has said that no one should manufacture, package, sell, offer for sale, market, or otherwise distribute or import food as vegan unless they meet the requirements set out in the regulations.
Under regulations announced on June 10, the food products labeled vegan must not have undergone animal testing for any purpose, including safety evaluation, unless provided by a regulatory agency. Any packaging material used for vegan food must comply with the provisions of the packaging regulations. The seller of vegan food, whether solely or as part of the merchandise, must store and display such food in a manner distinguishable from non-vegan food. Each package of vegan food must bear the logo specified by the FSSAI upon approval.
The FSSAI regulations state that the food business operator (FBO) must ensure that all stages of production, processing, and distribution are designed to take appropriate precautions by Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) in such a way that the unintended presence of non-vegan substances. If the same production line is shared with non-vegan products or ingredients, thorough cleaning or similar GMP-compliant measures must be performed before the production of vegan products begins, it added.
The FBO should take appropriate precautions by GMP before preparing, manufacturing, or packaging vegan products. Traceability must be established down to the manufacturer level. The FBO must comply with all other requirements specified by the food authority to maintain the vegan integrity of the food or its food ingredients or products from time to time.
