As the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has initiated legal action against three leading companies that mixed cattle feed into infant nutrition products, it has also recommended a ban on sugar added to foods for babies up to six months old.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has initiated legal action against companies that mixed detergent in milk and cattle feed in biscuits.
It has been proven in an investigation that three leading companies producing nutritional products for infants—Surya Food and Agro, Dodla Dairy, and UIR Organic Foods—manufactured substandard and unsafe food products. The investigation found that Surya Food and Agro used bran, which is used as cattle feed, instead of fiber in its biscuits.
Dotla Dairy, a milk and dairy products company headquartered in Hyderabad, has been found in testing to have detergent and caustic soda mixed in its full-fat milk sample, and to contain less than the minimum required fat content in the milk.
Similarly, tests have confirmed that the yellow grapes sold by UEIR Organic Foods contain very high levels of pesticide residues.
Following this, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has initiated legal action against all three companies.
In this context, as a key measure to strengthen nutritional safeguards for infants, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued a draft amendment to prohibit the addition of sucrose and fructose in food products for infants up to six months old.
The draft amendment regulations, published in the Gazette on Saturday (Oct. 17), further strengthen the existing regulatory framework by ensuring that children’s nutritional products are formulated in accordance with age-appropriate nutritional requirements.
Under the existing regulations, detailed nutritional composition, quality, and safety standards have been prescribed for various types of infant nutrition products for children from birth to 24 months.
Based on the new regulations, it has proposed to prohibit the addition of sucrose and fructose in food products for infants up to six months old. The aim is to reduce excessive sugar intake early in life and the potential health risks associated with it.
This proposal comes as government officials intensify efforts to improve food safety and address growing concerns about unhealthy eating habits and obesity.
The government is also considering placing strict warning labels on the front of packaged foods. This move could have significant implications for India’s large food industry.
This draft notification has been released for public consultation. It states that comments received within 60 days will be considered before the amendment is finalized.
Health experts and public health advocates have raised concerns about the rising rates of obesity among Indians, including children.
According to a study published in The Lancet medical journal, around 180 million people in India were overweight or obese in 2021. Its projections indicate that this number could rise to 450 million by 2050, the data shows.
The data has underscored calls for strong measures to improve dietary habits and reduce the consumption of unhealthy foods.
