All Packaging Material Claiming '100% Fruit Juice' To Be Exhausted Within Next Four Months: Food Authority

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has extended the deadline and given four more months to food business operators (FBOs) to exhaust all pre-printed packaging materials claiming '100 per cent fruit juices' in their packaged juice products, reported PTI. Amid rising concerns over misleading claims, FSSAI had asked food business operators (FBOs) in June this year to remove claims of 100% fruit juices in advertisements as well as labels of reconstituted fruit juices with an immediate effect. 

Earlier, FBOs were instructed to exhaust all existing pre-printed packaging materials before September 1, 2024. The decision to extend the current deadline has been taken after consultations with stakeholders. 

"Based on the various representations received from stakeholders, it has been decided to extend the deadline for using pre-printed packaging materials. The new deadline for utilising these materials is now December 31, 2024," FSSAI said in an advisory to FBOs, reported PTI. Further, products manufactured by FBOs before December 31, 2024, can be "sold in the market across all channels until the end of their shelf life," FSSAI added.

Steps To Stop "Inaccurate Marketing" 

Earlier in June, FSSAI called out companies for their "misleading claims" that their products contain '100%' fruit juices. "It has come to the attention of FSSAI that several FBOs have been inaccurately marketing various types of reconstituted fruit juices by claiming them to be 100 per cent fruit juices," the regulator had said.

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Calling these claims "misleading", FSSAI added, "Such claims are misleading, particularly under conditions where the major ingredient of the fruit juice is water and the primary ingredient, for which the claim is made, is present only in limited concentrations, or when the fruit juice is reconstituted using water and fruit concentrates or pulp."

What Will Be The Changes In The New Packaging?

FBOs were told to comply with the standards for fruit juices as specified under sub-regulation 2.3.6 of the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards & Food Additives) Regulation, 2011, reported PTI.

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Specifically, in the ingredient list, the word "reconstituted" must be mentioned against the name of the juice that is reconstituted from the concentrate. "Additionally, if added nutritive sweeteners exceed 15 gm/kg, the product must be labelled as 'sweetened juice'," FSSAI added.