Ayurveda Aahara!

Have you ever consumed food made from recipes suggested by various authoritative book for Ayurveda Aahara? Well, many of us have! In fact, these recipes also claims to be the best to cure few diseases. Food Business Operators have been actively selling such foods items claiming to cure diseases. However, there were no regulators to regulate such items. But now Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has introduced the Food Safety and Standards (Ayurveda Aahara) Regulations, 2022 to regulate such food items.

Let us understand what constitutes Ayurveda Aahara

Ayurveda Aahara is a food which is prepared in accordance with the recipes, ingredients or process as per the method which has been provided in the authoritative book as per the Schedule A of The Food Safety and Standards (Ayurveda Aahara) Regulations, 2022. It also includes products which have other botanical ingredients in the concept of Ayurveda Aahara. However, Ayurvedic Drugs or proprietary Ayurvedic medicines and medicinal products, cosmetics, narcotic or psychotropic substances, herbs listed under Schedule E-1 of Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945 does not comes under the purview of Ayurveda Aahara Regulations.

There are new set of compliances which the Food Business Operators need to adhere to, if they are into Manufacturing of Foods pertaining to Ayurveda Aahara.

Key Compliances:

1. Formulate Ayurveda Aahara as prescribed: Food Business Operators must formulate Ayurveda Aahara, either from the authoritative text books prescribed in the regulation, or in accordance with the categories mentioned under the regulation. It must also take into consideration Schedule IV of Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses Regulation), 2011 while formulation of Ayurveda Aahara.
2. Prohibit Selling it to Infants: The Food Business Operators are prohibited to sell or Ayurveda Aahara to infants up to age of 2 years.
3. Refrain from adding vitamins/minerals/amino acids: The Food Business Operators need to be mindful while manufacturing Ayurveda Aahara and must not add any vitamins, minerals or amino acids. However, if such vitamins/ amino acids/ minerals are already present in the Ayurveda Aahara, it must be declared on the label by the Food Manufacturers.
4. Add Food Additives as prescribed: The Regulations requires the Food Business Operators to add only those food additives which has been mentioned in the Schedule C of the Regulation. For example – rosemary, jagerry, honey, date syrup, etc.
5. Adhere to the Safety Norms: Every Ayurveda Aahara product manufactured by the Food Business Operators must be in accordance with and conform to the safety norms provided in the regulation.
6. Adhere to the requirements under Food Safety and Standards (Packaging) Regulations, 2018: All Food Manufacturers of Ayurveda Aahara must conform to the compliance requirement specified under the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging) Regulations, 2018.
7. Refrain from claiming to cure diseases from consumption of Ayurveda Aahara: The Regulations clearly specifies that no Food Business Operator formulating ayurveda aahara, must claim to prevent or cure diseases through labelling or advertisement. However, risk reduction claims by consuming ayurveda aahara can be made in accordance with the requirements mentioned under the Regulation.
8. Proper Labelling of Ayurveda Aahara: The labelling of Ayurveda Aahara must be in accordance with the requirements specified under the Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020.
9. Warning Requirements: The Food Business Operators must display an advisory warning, that “ONLY FOR DIETARY USE” along with a statement that Ayurveda Aahara must not be used as a substitute for varied diets. It must also mention as a warning any precaution which needs to be taken before consumption of such item. A warning that such item must be stored out of reach of children and not meant for parenteral use must also be labelled.
10. Intimate to Food Authority: The Food Business Operators must inform the licensing authority of any food item which has been duly licensed but falls under the category of Ayurveda Aahara to enable licensing authority to permit the same within 30 days.
11. Labelling Requirements: The Food Manufacturers must display the words “AYURVEDA AAHARA” near the name/ brand name of the product with a green colour logo as provided in the regulation.

The new regulations on Ayurveda Aahara has been welcomed by many industry leaders. It is a great step towards regulating the Ayurveda industry and benefit consumers. The Food Business Operators in the Ayurveda industries need to adhere to the new regulations before selling any such items in the market. Being a Food Business Operator, it becomes critical for organizations to comply with the regulations in a timely manner. Relying on a compliance management tool simplifies and strengthens an organization’s voluminous compliance programs that govern business, helping the organization to master a complex web of regulations and regulatory changes in India.

We, at Lexplosion Solutions Pvt. Ltd. have been working with Food Business Operators for quite some time now, aiding them in ascertaining, understanding and effectively complying with the applicable regulations as well as new amendments under the Food Safety and Standards (Ayurveda Aahara) Regulations, 2022. Komrisk, Lexplosion’s compliance management tool helps companies identify, manage, monitor, and mitigate legal risks emerging from evolving regulations and such aforesaid amendments. Komrisk has been successfully deployed and has been mitigating compliance risk globally for over decades now. To know more about how best we can guide and assist you in identifying, managing monitoring your compliances, old or new, please connect with us now!

Written by: Amanya Gangawat

Co Authored by: Anchal Sharma

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