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Organic Food Regulation-FSSAI

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has the mandate to regulate manufacture, distribute, sell or import “organic foods” as per the provisions laid under Section 22 of the Food Safety Standards Act, 2006. Organic foods are regulated by Food Safety and Standards (Organic Foods) Regulations, 2017 notified under the provisions of the act.

Organic foods are products of holistic agricultural practices focusing on bio-diversity, soil health, chemical free inputs etc. with an environmentally and socially responsible approach that have been produced in accordance with organic production standards.

Food Safety and Standards (Organic Foods) Regulations, 2017 were notified in the Gazette of India on 29.12.2017. The unified logo created by FSSAI is an identity mark to distinguish organic products from non-organic ones supported with the tagline “Jaivik Bharat”, which signifies Organic Food from India.

What does ‘Organic Food’ means? 

Organic foods are products of holistic agricultural practices focusing on bio-diversity, soil health, chemical free inputs etc. with an environmentally and socially responsible approach that have been produced in accordance with organic production standards.

People are wary to purchase organic food due to lack of confidence about its genuineness. The problem of fraud and mis-labelling occurs when a Food Business Operator (FBO) marks a product as organic while it contains non-organic ingredients or where the organic production standards are not adhered to in the production process. Therefore, it becomes important to check if the food labelled as “organic” is genuinely organic. The Food Safety and Standards (Organic Foods) Regulations, 2017 are based on the standards of National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) and Participatory Guarantee System (PGS-India). The customer will be assured of the genuineness after the Regulations are notified.

Procedure for Organic Endorsement in FSSAI License/Registration Certificate:

Step 1: FBO has to Obtain FSSAI License before applying for Organic Endorsement

Step 2: Comply with NOP/NPOP Organic Certification through external audit agency accredited by APEDA. Obtain NPOP/NOP Organic Certification from APEDA Approved Agency for Organic Certification.

Step 3: After getting National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) Certificate. Apply online on Fssai portal for Organic Endorsement (Ensure that product should be matched with Fssai License and NPOP Certificate.) Enter NPOP Certificate No.

Step 4: Fetch all the details of products from APEDA based on the NPOP Certificate no.

Step 5: After Verification by Licensing Authority of Fssai, they will endorse your food products as Organic Products.

Refer below User Manual for Organic Endorsement for ready reference.

About the Jaivik Bharat Logo

The Jaivik Bharat logo for Organic Food is an identity mark to distinguish organic products from non-organic ones. The logo is supported with the tagline “Jaivik Bharat”, at the bottom, which signifies Organic Food from India. Employing a simple approach to communicate an effective message, the green color of the logo symbolizes nature along with articulating that these foods are produced in environment-friendly manner without using chemical fertilizers and pesticides. It highlights the letter “O” used in the word “Organic” as well as represents the facet of holistic health at a global platform. To show a sturdy relationship with the same, leaves have also been used in the logo in the form of a tick mark incorporated inside the circle represented by the letter “O”. The logo showcases that the product bearing it has been authenticated as organic for the choice for consumption. Effectively intertwining all the elements of environment, the logo communicates adherence to the National Organic Standards. Every certified organic food container shall have ‘Jaivik Bharat’ Logo.

Organic Food Labelling and Certification:

Manufacture, pack, sell etc., of organic food:

No person shall manufacture, pack, sell, offer for sale, market or otherwise distribute or import any organic food unless they comply with the requirements laid down under these regulations.

Applicability of the systems:

(1) The organic food offered or promoted for sale shall also comply with all the applicable provisions of one of the following systems, namely: –

(i) National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP);
(ii) Participatory Guarantee System for India (PGS-India).
(iii) Any other system or standards as may be notified by the Food Authority from time to time.

(2) The Organic food which is marketed through direct sales by the small original producer or producer organisation, as determined by the Food Authority from time to time, to the end consumer shall be exempted from the provisions of the systems referred in sub-regulation.

(3) Aggregators or Intermediaries who collect organic food from small original producer or producer organization and sell it to the end consumer directly, are exempted from the provisions of the systems referred in sub-regulation (1) and they shall maintain records of traceability and comply with any of the provisions of the systems mentioned in sub-regulation (1) and organic food shall not carry Food Safety and Standard Authority of India’s organic logo.

Labelling:

(1) Labelling on the package of organic food shall convey full and accurate information on the organic status of the product. Such product may carry a certification or quality assurance mark of one of the systems mentioned in regulation 4 in addition to the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India’s organic logo.

(2) All organic foods shall comply with the packaging and labelling requirements specified under the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Regulations, 2011 in addition to the labelling requirements under one of the applicable systems mentioned in regulation.

(3) In-conversion products under PGS-India may be labelled as ‘PGS-Green’ and may also be labelled as ‘In-conversion to organic’ and the conversion products under NPOP may be labelled as ‘In-conversion to organic’ and shall mention the year of conversion and such in-conversion products shall not carry Food Safety and Standard Authority of India’s organic logo.

Traceability:

Traceability shall be established upto the producer level as applicable under the systems mentioned in regulation 4 and it shall include any other requirements prescribed by the Food Authority to maintain the organic integrity of the food product.

Requirement to comply with the provision of the other regulations made under the Act. –

Without prejudice to the provisions of these regulations, all organic food shall comply with the relevant provisions, as applicable, under the Food Safety and Standards (Food Product Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011. The organic food shall also comply with relevant provisions, as applicable under the Food Safety and Standards (Contaminants, Toxins and Residues) Regulations, 2011 except for residues of insecticides for which the maximum limits shall be 5% of the maximum limits prescribed or Level of Quantification (LoQ) whichever is higher.

Display:

The seller of organic food either exclusively or as part of his retail merchandise shall display such food in a manner distinguishable from the display of non-organic food.

Imports and Reciprocity:

Import of organic food:

(1) Organic food imports under bilateral or multilateral agreements on the basis of equivalence of standards between National Programme for Organic Production and the organic standards of the respective exporting countries shall not be required to be recertified on import to India subject to their compliance with the provisions of the Act, the rules and regulation made there under.

(2) The organic food consignments referred to in sub-regulation (1) shall be accompanied by a transaction certificate issued by an Accredited Certification Body covered under the terms of the equivalence agreement.

Download, Read & Share:

• Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for Aggregators or Intermediaries facilitating sales between Farmers / small original producers and producers organizations and end consumers – Exempt entities
• Gazette Notification on FSS (Organic Foods) First Amendment Regulations, 2021
• Arrangements for imports of Organic Products from third countries
• FAQs Advertising Organic Food
• Maximum Residual Limits (MRLs) of Insecticides in Organic Foods
• specifications for Organic logo (Jaivik Bharat)
• User Manual for Endorsement of Organic Products

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