FSSAI issues draft on sheep milk, oil standards amendments

INDIA – The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued a draft inviting comments on proposed amendments in the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations related to sheep milk and standards of olive oil amongst others.

The draft proposed addition of the standards for sheep milk wherein the fat content is fixed at 3.0 and solid non-fat (SnF) content at 9.0.

It proposed additional standards for variants of olive oil related to ‘Absorbency in ultra-violet K270’. The absorbency has been fixed for extra virgin olive oil, virgin olive oil, ordinary virgin olive oil, refined olive oil, olive oil, refined olive –pomace oil, refined olive –pomace oil, and olive-pomace oil.

Further, it includes standards for moringa oil. According to the draft,  moringa oil means the oil obtained by process of expressing clean and sound moringa seed (Moringa oleifera).

The draft added additional sub regulations related to standards of oils and fats. A clause 2.2.9 has been added related to Solvent Extracted Crude Vegetable Oils which are not for direct human consumption.

The clause says that solvent extracted crude vegetable oils mean vegetable oils extracted using food grade hexane from sources mentioned in standards of respective edible oils under sub regulation 2.2.1 of these regulations. The oil shall be clear, free from rancidity, adulterants, sediment, suspended and other foreign matter, separated water and added colouring and flavouring substances. These oils shall also be free from Argemone oil.

These oils as such are not for direct human consumption and shall be refined before human consumption. The oils so refined, shall conform to the standards specified for respective edible oils laid down under regulation 2.2.1 (16).

The draft also details out the standards such oils need to conform to. In addition, the draft laid provisions for desiccated coconut.

It states that the product will be prepared by peeling, milling, grating and drying the sound white kernel obtained from the whole nut of coconut having reached appropriate development for processing, without oil extraction.

The product may be presented in form of powder, flakes, chips and shreds. It shall be white to light creamy white in colour and free from foreign matter, living insects, mould, dead insects, insect fragments and rodent contamination.

The product shall also have pleasant taste and flavour, free from rancidity and evidence of fermentation and be labelled in accordance with the Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulation, 2020.

In addition to that, it proposes that the product having oil content 35-60% shall be labelled as “Reduced Fat Desiccated Coconut’.