Bhubaneswar: From today onwards, it is mandatory for mithai sellers to display “best before date” on non-packaged sweets. This is part of the Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSAI) of India’s efforts to ensure food safety.
In a letter to the commissioner of food safety of all states and Union Territories, FSSAI recently noted that “…in the 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 ‘Best Before Date’ of the product mandatorily with effect from October 1, 2020.”
Confectioners have been given the liberty to decide and display the best-before date of sweets depending upon the nature of the product and the local conditions.
An indicative list of the shelf life of various types of sweets is available on the FSSAI website. All food business operators (FBOs) dealing in sweets have to comply with these directions, the FSSAI said. Food safety commissioners have to ensure compliance.
The letter by the FSSAI, however, noted that the FBOs might also display the date of manufacturing on the product, but ‘it is not mandatory.’
The food regulator said that the decision was based on various complaints about the quality and adulteration of sweets ahead of the festive season.
