Malnourishment: FSSAI tightens noose on health supplements

Hyderabad: Health supplements and nutraceuticals have been divided into eight categories and will have to be properly labelled, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India  has said. The FSSAI will implement the categorisation from January 1 

Nutraceuticals are products derived from food sources with extra benefits. It also has a component of medicinal drugs. Standards and regulations for nutraceuticals have been discussed as there are certain pharma companies that sell medicinal drugs as nutraceuticals. 

Mr Pawan Agarwal, FSSAI chief executive officer, said, “Standards for nutraceuticals will come into force from January 1. It is a contentious issue considering consumer interest. The tall claims made by manufacturers regarding any food supplement will be tracked and checked. The claims have to be substantiated with evidence.”

Labelling has to be carried out accordingly as the market has a large number of spurious products. “The challenge with food supplements is that there is no robust framework for their testing. There are also issues about good manufacturing practices around food supplements and nutraceuticals sector.”  

There is a need to put together a framework of good manufacturing practice for nutraceuticals and food supplements. There is a move by the government to make food supplements and nutraceuticals affordable as 43 per cent children across India are malnourished.