Dr. Surender S Ghonkrokta,
Fruit juice industry is flooded with such claims or deceptive projections of its products that consumer feel cheated when ultimately the facts are under stood or come to the notice. The brand names giving idea of fruit juice being ‘PURE”, “NATURAL”. “ORGANIC are few of the examples. Why these brand names should not be banned by FSSAI? Are these brand names older than our food safety conventions. The safety provisions did exist in different forms in India even before the enactment of Prevention of Food Adulteration Act 1954 (Precursor to FSS Act, 2006). I am sure that Deception or misleading claims may not be acceptable in society, irrespective of the fact if specific law or regulations were enacted. Laws are based on conventions and existing practices in the society. Laws are mere codification process. FSSAI must challenge this. FSSAI has been trying to plug the loop holes where ever it is able to do so. Two positive steps, namely issuance of two circulars/Advisory Regarding Selling/Marketing of reconstituted fruit juices as “100 Fruit Juices” and a Clarification regarding Selling/Marketing of fruit juices with Non-standardized ingredients, is a welcome step. These steps, coupled with monitoring and action at field levels will not only ensure food safety but also strengthen the confidence on food regulator. This is very important as some times we encounter certain fake videos circulating on social media claiming adulteration of food, which creates a lot of confusion/ mistrust in consumers.