India Industry Outlook Positive - Exclusive Survey

India’s mandatory food fortification scheme has been overwhelmingly backed by the nation’s NutraIngredients-Asia readers, with seven out of 10 stating it will benefit their business, according to the results of NutraIngredients-Asia annual industry survey.  

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) introduced the scheme to “close the gap” in micronutrient malnutrition.  Milk, oil, rice, and wheat are some products that require fortification.  For instance, edible oil brands are required to add 800 IU of vitamin A and 550 IU of vitamin D in per litre of product, while iron, folic acid and vitamin B12 should be added into rice and wheat.   

Survey results show that the respondents were divided in their views on the new list of permitted ingredients in India.  The list was published as part of FSSA’s new regulations for functional food, health supplements, nutraceuticals, food for special dietary use, food for special medical purposes and novel food.  45% agreed that the new regulations contain an adequate number of permitted ingredients, while 37.5% disagreed.  Some respondents commented that they would need to be more cautious as a result of the new regulations.  Others said the list of permitted ingredients should be reviewed from time to time.  A total of 195 ingredients were added to the initial list published by FSSAI last year, including resveratrol, lutein and beta-glucan.