INDIA – The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has enacted strict labeling standards for bread producers that will go into effect in May of 2019, a move that will gratify the nation’s health-conscious populace.
In order to comply with the requirement, bakeries must use at least 75% whole wheat flour in their whole wheat bread, as well as 50% whole wheat flour in their brown bread.
The ingredients used by current brands are currently incredibly ambiguous.
Manufacturers use ingredients as per their own individual recipes. Brown bread may be just that – brown – made from maida. It acquires its golden hue from food colour.
“As organised manufacturers, we welcome the authorities’ move. FSSAI has taken this step because it has the welfare of consumers at heart.
“But the unorganised sector, which constitutes 80% of the business, will find it difficult to adapt. Prices could rise, though. We will need to alter recipes, cylinder apparatus, and packaging,” said Salauddin Khan, Director of Kwality Bakery and member of the Indian Bakers Association.
In 2021, the chief food safety watchdog shared draft regulations for regulating the quality of specialty bread, as bread that has been enhanced for nutrition or taste is called.
The draft lays down minimum standards for the likes of whole wheat, brown, white, multigrain, and 14 specialty bread, including garlic, egg, oatmeal, milk, and cheese bread.
The purpose of setting guidelines for these loaves is to let consumers know what to anticipate when they opt for specialty bread.
The proposed guidelines require that there should be a minimum quantifiable level to which a “specialty ingredient” needs to be present in the said specialty bread, reports News 18.
“The specialty ingredient must be present in case a prefix is added to the term ‘bread’ on the label,” the draft says.”
The draft FSSAI rules state that whole wheat loaves are those in which whole wheat flour is the special component.
Multigrain bread must contain at least 20% of grains other than wheat, but it should account for at least 75% of the flour used in the product.
Among other things, ordinary oatmeal bread must have at least 15% of the specialty ingredient, while garlic bread must have at least 2% of garlic.
A minimum of 50% of the flour used in brown bread must be whole grain.
“As organised manufacturers, we welcome the authorities’ move. FSSAI has taken this step because it has the welfare of consumers at heart.
But the unorganised sector, which constitutes 80% of the business, will find it difficult to adapt.”
Similar to how cheese bread should have 10% cheese and at least 5% honey, so should honey bread.
Additionally, minimum requirements have been given for varieties such as fruit, rye, raisin, and protein-enriched bread.
In its 2017 guidance document for bakery and bakery products, FSSAI mentioned the “rising need for food safety in the sector” and “trends in baking… towards lighter, healthier products, and those containing allergen-free, organic, and whole-grain ingredients”.
However, before this, no standards had been devised for the production of specialty bread.
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