GUWAHATI: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has announced the reclassification of packaged drinking water and mineral water under the ‘high-risk’ food category.
ALSO READ: FSSAI Advisory Stresses Safe Food Handling In E-Commerce Sector
This reclassification mandates annual third-party food safety audits for central licence holders in this sector, as it follows recent amendments to the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011.
The order states that packaged drinking water and mineral water will now be treated alongside other high-risk food categories, such as animal products and foods for specified nutritional uses, which already undergo regular audits and inspections. "It is reiterated that all centrally licensed manufacturers under the High-Risk Food Categories shall get their business audited by an FSSAI-recognised third-party food safety auditing agency every year," the order emphasised.
Additionally, food business operators dealing in non-alcoholic beverages, including packaged drinking and mineral water, will now be subject to mandatory inspections under the new regulations. According to the food safety regulator, these high-risk foods are particularly susceptible to contamination.
The FSSAI explained that the move was part of a broader strategy to maintain stringent oversight in the packaged water industry while bolstering consumer protection.
