FSSAI mulls ban on added sugars in infant foods

New Delhi: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the country’s apex food regulator, has proposed banning the addition of sweeteners such as sucrose and fructose in infant formula meant for babies up to six months old in a bid to promote healthier nutrition for children. The proposed amendment will change one of the requirements for baby foods in the regulations that currently govern infant nutrition.

Currently, the Food Safety and Standards (Foods for Infant Nutrition) Regulations of 2019 allow lactose and glucose polymers as carbohydrate sources in baby foods, provided they do not exceed 20 per cent of the total carbohydrates.

The proposed amendment adds another condition: sweeteners such as sucrose and fructose will “not be added in the products intended for infants up to the age of 6 months,” according to a recent draft notification.

This essentially means that any formula meant for children below the age of six months cannot have these “added sugars”. Companies, however, can continue using them, within permissible limits, for children between the ages of six and 24 months.

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The Hans India