-By ArdorComm News Network
June 17, 2022
From July 1, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has urged online food platforms such as Swiggy and Zomato to ensure compliance with its standards regarding the display of nutritional value by food service establishments. FSSAI has asked all e-commerce Food Business Operators (FBOs) to ensure provisions on their platforms, including mobile apps, for the display of calorific value and nutrition and allergen information. FBOs would be able to feed data into online platforms as a result of this. In 2020, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) issued labelling and display requirements for food service establishments.
FSSAI said in a letter that “all e-commerce food business operators are hereby directed to enable provision in their online platforms including mobile applications for display of nutritional information… so that FBOs registered on your respective platforms would be able to feed and update such information in respect of each dish/food they are offering for sale.”
When contacted, a spokesperson for Zomato stated, “We already showcase nutritional and allergen status where a restaurant voluntarily shares the required information with us. As per the FSSAI guidelines, we are working with the restaurant partners who have now been mandated to enable our customers to make an informed choice.” Swiggy, on the other hand, did not comment.
The FSSAI has also directed its regional directors to ensure that e-commerce FBOs comply with the regulations. The FSSAI directed that the regulations for “Display of Information in Food Service Establishments, as per the FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations” 2O2O, which will take effect on July 1, 2022, be followed.
Food service enterprises with a central licence or outlets in 10 or more locations are required to list the calorific content (in kcal per serving and serving size) against the food items shown on menu cards, boards, or booklets, according to these laws. They should also give nutrition, allergen, and ingredient information, among other things.
The FSSAI also stated that the laws require e-commerce FBOs to obtain the necessary nutritional information from their respective food business operators and post it on their websites where relevant. According to the food regulator, this information will only be displayed for FBOs that meet the standards. Menu labelling will apply to food service enterprises with a central licence, outlets with ten or more locations, and e-commerce FBOs selling food items of those foods that are required to be declared under menu labelling.
These requirements do not apply to event caterers or food service establishments that operate for less than sixty days in a calendar year (consecutively or non-consecutively).