Refrain from outdoor cooking practices’, FSSAI’s advice to sweets manufacturers ahead of festival season

The FSSAI, country's food safety regulator -- has directed the businesses dealing in food products to ensure high quality, and cautioned them against adulterated raw materials.

New Delhi: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has directed the manufacturers of sweets to refrain from outdoor cooking practices, as they can expose food and raw materials to environmental contaminants and pose risks to food safety.

The FSSAI, country’s food safety regulator — has directed the businesses dealing in food products to ensure high quality, and cautioned them against adulterated raw materials, especially milk products during their meeting with food business operators such as sweets manufacturers, and other stakeholders, ahead of the onset of the festive season in the country, which begins next month.

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In a statement after the meeting, the FSSAI said, In view of the upcoming festive season, FSSAI convened a meeting with Indian Sweets manufacturers on Monday to emphasize the compliance to be followed to ensure the safety and quality of edibles and raw materials.

The meeting was attended by sweet manufacturers and associations across the country. More than 150 food business operators participated in the meeting. It said that the meeting was focused on sensitising the ecosystem regarding the perishable high risk edibles to ensure safe food throughout the touch points including manufacturing, storage, distribution and point of sale to the consumer.

The FSSAI said, All Food Business Operators (FBOs) are required to monitor the quality of oil during frying by complying with the FSS regulations. It said, FBOs were advised to follow safe display practices for the loose sweets and to discourage outdoor cooking practices, as they can expose food and raw materials to environmental contaminants and pose risks to food safety.

The FSSAI also said that higher emphasis was given on checking adulteration in raw materials especially milk and milk products viz. khoa, paneer, ghee which are more susceptible to adulteration and contamination during the high consumption season. They were also sensitised to focus on testing and to ensure purchase of raw materials especially milk, khoa, ghee, paneer, etc. only from vendors registered or licensed by FSSAI.