FSSAI Marks Packaged Drinking Water as 'High-Risk' Food
FSSAI has re-categorized packaged drinking water and mineral water as "high-risk foods" to strengthen safety standards and protect consumers
On 29th November 2024, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) announced that packaged drinking water and mineral water have been re-categorized as a "high-risk food category." This decision aims to strengthen consumer protection and improve food safety standards.
According to FSSAI, high-risk foods are items that are more likely to cause food poisoning due to contamination, improper storage, or poor handling. These foods require more regular and detailed inspections compared to others and must meet stricter safety standards to be approved for consumption.
The re-categorization follows important changes made to the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations of 2011 in October 2024. These amendments were introduced to ensure better quality control in the packaged food and water industry.
As a result of this change, all manufacturers of packaged drinking water and mineral water will now have to undergo mandatory third-party food safety checks and audits. They must also comply with the new quality standards set by FSSAI. Furthermore, these manufacturers will be subject to yearly risk-based inspections before their licenses and registrations are renewed.
The new rules will be enforced immediately. Additionally, FSSAI has ordered all e-commerce food business operators to ensure that the products they sell have a minimum shelf life of 30% or 45 days before expiry at the time of delivery. The authority also requires e-commerce operators to deliver food and non-food items separately to avoid any risk of contamination.
Another important rule is that e-commerce food operators must not make false or unsupported claims about their products. The claims they make online must match the information printed on the product labels.
Other products categorized as high-risk include dairy products, meat products, eggs and egg products, Indian sweets, and prepared foods.
This re-categorization of packaged drinking water and mineral water reflects FSSAI’s ongoing efforts to improve food safety and protect consumers across the country.
