FSSAI to Soon Issue Draft Notification for Liquor Standards

With plans to set standards for alcoholic drinks including beer, whisky and rum among others central food safety watchdog FSSAI is likely to come out with a draft notification within a few weeks. "The Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) will come up with a draft notification on the standards of alcoholic beverages in next 45 days," a source said. It was decided that once standards for alcohol and alcoholic beverages were finalised it shall be intimated to all states and UTs so that they may suitably advise the respective excise departments, the source added.(After Instant Noodles, Ice-Cream & Flavoured Milk Under FSSAI's Radar)

"Work is going on to prepare standards for alcohol and alcoholic beverages, broadly under two different heads, one for drinks with less alcohol like beer and other for drinks having major alcohol content like whisky," the source said. Among other drinks vodka, brandy and gin will also come under the proposed standards. Earlier this year, a meeting of the Central Advisory Committee had discussed having standards for alcohol and alcoholic beverages.

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FSSAI has already proposed that alcoholic beverages, pan masala and supari may not be treated as "unsafe food" for recall just because they carry a mandatory warning on their covers. The proposal has been made in the Safety and Standards (Food Recall Procedure) Regulations, 2015, which has been put up for public comments. These draft norms were put up for public comments on May 29 and the deadline ends on August 1.

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FSSAI is the central body which lays down science-based standards for articles of food and regulate their sale, manufacturing, storage, distribution and import to ensure availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption.