Why Choose Food Research Lab's FRL as Your Food Product Development (FPD) Consultant and Partner?

There are several options in almost every product area in today’s market, and the difficulty is in coming up with unique items that stand out and connect with customers. Food Research Lab's Food Research Lab (FRL) takes a holistic approach to creating food and beverage products. We define, demographically target, and build effective goods through a sequential process for category selection and comprehension. The client can visit the lab to learn the process. We offer unlimited rounds of revisions to ensure customer satisfaction. The final product prototype, along with the documentation process, including the video (through email), will be shipped to the client, and in case the client is not satisfied with the video, a food technology consultant will visit the place for the product demo at the client’s costs.

What are the different forms that you deliver the Food Product Formulations?

The food industry is witnessing a new form of consumption. Keeping that in mind, we can formulate the products in the form of ready-to-eat, ready-to-drink, ready-to-mix, ready-to-serve, and ready-to-cook food products. We use ingredients that offer an added value to the development and improve its indulgence and sustainability in terms of its functional ingredients, plant-based food dyes, and natural preservatives with a clean label.

What are the sectors Food Research Lab cover?

We cover a wide range of sectors such as soups, sauces and dips, chips, tortillas, dry beverage powder, plant-based products, masalas, puddings, instant mixes and many more.

How is sensory testing been carried out?

Our sensory examination leads to the precise formulation and recipe recommendations. We develop data-driven design models based on sensory research and customer insights. The fact-based design methodology used by Food Research Lab reduces risk and gives our clients market confidence while cutting development time in half. With our dedicated sensory lab facility, our team takes satisfaction in creating and optimizing successful products in the marketplace, generating a favourable return on investment, and developing brand advocates.

Food and beverages Product Shelf Life Regulations from FSSAI

18 Jan

FSSAI Regulations on Shelf life of Food and Beverage products

by Food Research Lab

in Regulation Updates, Shelf Life Studies

Comments

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) regulates food, beverages, nutraceuticals, and dietary supplements in India.

According to FSSAI label regulations, labels must display the net quantity of the product, as well as the date of manufacture and the best before/use-by date. This information ensures that customers are aware of the product’s freshness and shelf life before purchasing it. Proper storage instructions are also provided to ensure the food item’s quality and safety.

According to FSSAI, the shelf life of imported food goods shall not be less than 60% or three months. The importer must produce a certificate of sanitary export from an authorized agency in the exporting country for the food categories defined by the food authority from time to time.
Food exporters must have an FSSAI License for Export Businesses, obtain an import-export license, and a no-objection certificate. After receiving approval, the exporter can export the food products to any destination. Before a food exporter can be regulated and certified, the commodities must be registered as a unique identity. Only FSSAI-certified food products can be exported from India.
The following information must be present on a food product label for any product that is exported from India:

Information about the nutritional value,
The name of the food product, the name of the organization and the brand,
List of ingredients,
A statement indicating whether the product is vegetarian,
Date of manufacture/packaging,
Best Before/Use-by date,
Net quantity,
The name and address of the exporter,
User instructions and
Batch number

An excellent example of good product labeling practices is Haldirams, wherein they give all the mandatory information on the product label- like the vegetarian product, list of all ingredients, best before date, date of manufacturing, net quantity, batch number, and information about the nutritional value.

The ‘Best Before’ refers to the date that signifies the end of the period under the mentioned storage conditions at which the product can be marketed, retain its sensory profile, and is safe for consumption. Although the product may still be safe for consumption beyond the best-before date, its quality may not be the same as before. The product should not be sold if it becomes unsafe at any stage.
The ‘Use By date, ’ ‘Recommended last consumption date,’ or ‘Expiry date’ refers to the end of the time duration under specific conditions for storage, after which the product will not have the quality and safety. The products should not be sold past their ‘Use by’ date.
According to the FSSAI regulations, packaged food products must display the “Best Before” or “Use By” date on their labels. This date indicates how long the product is expected to be in good condition under recommended storage conditions.
Food and beverage manufacturers must specify the date, month, and year in which the product was manufactured and packed if its ‘Best Before Date’ is more than three months.
Additionally, suppose a package contains items with a short shelf life (less than three months). In that case, the label should display the date, month, and year of manufacturing, preparation, or packing for those items.
Manufacturers must mention the ‘Best Before’ using capital letters, such as:

‘BEST BEFORE ___ MONTHS AND YEAR’,

‘BEST BEFORE ___ MONTHS OF PACKAGING’,

‘BEST BEFORE ___ MONTHS OF MANUFACTURE’

For products that are sterilized or treated using UHT, like dairy products, soya milk, and pizza, the declaration on the product label can be as follows:

‘BEST BEFORE ___ DATE/MONTH/YEAR’

‘BEST BEFORE ___ DAYS OF PACKAGING’

‘BEST BEFORE ___ DAYS OF MANUFACTURE’

The blanks must be filled up and the month and year should be mentioned in numbers. The year can be given in two digits.
For Aspartame, infant formula, and milk substitutes, instead of the ‘Best Before’ date, ‘Use by date’/’recommended last date of consumption’/’expiry date’ should be mentioned.
The “best before” date rule doesn’t apply to wines and liquors or alcoholic beverages with 10 percent or more alcohol by volume. Also, for carbonated water (plain soda or potable water with carbon dioxide under pressure) packed in returnable glass bottles, most rules, except for net weight/content, nutritional information, manufacturer’s details, date of manufacture, and the “best before” date, don’t apply [1].