In a reply to a question in the Lok Sabha during the Budget Session regarding whether the Government is aware of the high levels of added sugar in carbonated soft drinks and other sugar-sweetened beverages marketed in the country, and their potential adverse impact on consumers, particularly children and adolescents.
The MoS, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution said that the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has informed that it is mandated to lay down science-based standards for various articles of food products, including Non-alcoholic (carbonated & non-carbonated) beverages and to regulate their manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import to ensure availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption and FSSAI standards are uniform across the country.
Standards for non-alcoholic beverages, including both carbonated and non- carbonated beverages, are prescribed under the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011.
The said regulation also specifies the ingredients and additives permitted to be used in such products.
Further, as per the Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020, nutritional information, inter alia, Total sugars & added sugars content per 100 g, 100 ml, or per single consumption pack, along with the per-serve percentage contribution to the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA), is required to be declared
on the product label.
Additionally, every package of such food containing approved artificial sweeteners must carry the mandatory declarations and cautionary warnings as prescribed under the regulations.
As per the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, all Food Business Operators (FBOs), engaged in the manufacture of non-alcoholic beverages, including both carbonated and non- carbonated beverages, are required to comply with the standards and requirements prescribed under the Food Safety and Standards Regulations.