The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has recently stated that it is mandatory for all sweet shops to display the manufacturing date and the expiry date of non-packaged sweets at their display counters from June 1 next.
At present, these details are mandatory to be printed in the labels of pre-packaged/pre-packed sweets as per the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Regulations, 2011.
In an order issued on Monday, the FSSAI stated that it has received reports of stale sweets being sold to customers.
“Instances have been reported of stale/expired sweets being sold to consumers posing potential health hazards,” the FSSAI stated.
“Further, in public interest and to ensure food safety it has been decided that in case of non-packaged/loose sweets, the container/tray holding sweets at the outlet for sale should display the ‘Date of Manufacturing’ and ‘Best before Date’ of the product. This will be effective from June 1, 2020,” it added.
FSSAI also said that food business operators (FBOs) should decide and display the ‘Best before Date’ of sweets depending upon the nature of the product and local conditions.
Food Safety Commissioners of States and Union Territories are directed to ensure compliance to these directions, the order stated.