Infant is a little bit of heaven sent down to earth-Lets save them

By Kuldeep Sharma•Published on February 17, 2024

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) recently approved amendments to food safety regulations, eliminating the need for Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) or Agmark certifications for food products. The move aligns with the “One Nation, One Commodity, One Regulator” concept, streamlining certification processes for food businesses and fostering a more business-friendly environment. Discussed during the 43rd meeting of the food safety authority in New Delhi, the amendments aim to simplify regulations. Additionally, a comprehensive manual of methods of analysis for ensuring regulatory compliance of food products was approved during the meeting.

This step marks progress in concentrating a Food Business operator’s focus on a single agency, freeing them from multiple differential standards for certain products. Although BIS plays a crucial role in developing standards for various critical products, the recent amendments by FSSAI intend to consolidate certifications, making FSSAI certification the sole requirement. Until the amendments are approved, the dairy industry currently requires separate BIS certification for certain products, like dried milk categories. Infant milk powder, a critical product in this category, follows stringent standards, and Indian infant milk products are considered among the safest globally. As the name suggest, this product is used by the most vulnerable group of infants and toddlers.

BIS became the first certification body in the world to reduce the SPC count in finished product to below 500/gm in three samples out of five as a testing protocol. The other countries which stood very near to India are GCC nations at 1000 CFU/g and CIS countries at 2000 CFU/g.

Is it true that Indian infant milk powder is safest in the world ?

The answer is both yes and no. When we look at world’s best names in this category then we have Nestle, Danone, Abbot, Amul, Nutricia, Nutrimed etc already manufacturing their products in India. Infant milk powder manufacturing is a complex process requiring hygiene and food safety comparable to that of pharmaceutical sector. These companies have set up state of the art technology plant and machineries to manufacture the product matching international standards.

The standards for infant milk substitutes, outlined in BIS standards under IS 14433:2022, emphasize nutritional suitability and quality criteria.

“A breast milk substitute product based on milk (see 4 of IS 13688) and other ingredients which has been proven to be suitable for infant feeding, to meet the nutritional requirements of infant during the first six months. The product may be modified by the partial removal/substitution of milk fat with edible vegetable oils rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids and/ or by different milk solids, either singly or in a suitable combination; carbohydrates; salts such as phosphates and citrates; vitamins and minerals. The product may be in liquid or powdered form. Vegetable oils rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids may be added to partially substitute milk fat to an extent that the product shall contain a minimum of 12 percent by mass of milk fat.”