FSSAI suspends 16 licences for non-compliance with calorie count order

The FSSAI has suspended the licenses of 16 food business operators for not complying with the regulator's latest norms

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has suspended the licenses of 16 food business operators for not complying with the regulator's latest norms of labelling and displaying the calorie count of dishes on their menus, reported The Hindu BusinessLine on Wednesday. 

This comes a day after a report stated that the food regulator had sent notices to eateries over the same. 
 

The regulator's latest norms, which were notified in November 2020, make it mandatory for restaurants with central licence or more than 10 outlets to mention in the calorific value (kcal per serving and serving size) of items on their menus, boards, or booklets.

The last date for restaurants to comply with these norms was January 1, 2022, but it was later extended to July 1.

The FSSAI officials inspected nearly 500 food business operators, who have central and state licences. While 71 licensees, who were non-compliant, said they will make the changes and sought more time, 16 operators did not respond. Thus, their licenses were suspended, officials told BusinessLine.

The calorie count norms apply to restaurants and hotels that hold central licenses. Additionally, restaurant chains operating outlets in ten or more locations also need to comply with these norms. E-commerce aggregators selling food products also need to declare menu labelling of the food items on their platforms. 

Apart from calories and serving size, eateries also need to mention allergen information of the food item. The FSSAI has taken this step in a bid to promote public health and enable consumers to make well-informed food choices.