FSSAI Notification On SOP For Applying +F Endorsement Certificate For Fortified Food Products In FoSCoS

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has notified the FSS (Fortification of Foods) First Amendment Regulation, 2020 on 18th December 2020, which will be implemented w.e.f 1st July 2021. The apex regulator, through circular dated 12.04.2021 has issued Standard Operating Procedure for applying for +F endorsement certificate for Fortified Food products in FoSCoS. The regulations mentioned the standards for fortified processed foods in addition to earlier notified five staples milk, edible oil, rice, wheat flour, and salt for fortification. FBOs will be required to upload test reports showing levels of fortificants in fortified food products from an FSSAI notified / NABL accredited Lab against each product for +F endorsement to substantiate the claims made for fortification. The grant of +F endorsement certificate by the concerned designated officers or registration authorities shall be based on the application submitted by the FBOs.

 

Lists of food considered as Fortified by FSSAI:

FSSAI recognizes the following food products as Fortified:

1. Milk
2. Edible oil
3. Fortified Fruit juices
4. Rice
5. Wheat
6. Flour
7. Maida
8. Fortified cereal products
9. Fortified bakery wares
10. Salt

Also, FSSAI has discontinued the renewal process of +F endorsement certificate by the FBOs. In order for providing ease of doing business, it has been decided that the validity of the +F endorsement certificate will be till the licence or registration is valid.

For applying endorsement of fortified food products for FSSAI License/ Registration in FoSCoS following food product categories to be used as mentioned below:

S. No.	Food Products	Food product category in FoSCoS
1.	Milk	01 -Dairy products and analogues under (excluding product category 2.0)
2.	Edible Oil	02 -Fats and oil and fat emulsions
3.	Fortified fruit juices	04 -Fruits, and vegetables (including mushrooms and fungi, roots and tubers, fresh pulses and legumes and Aloe vera), seaweeds and nuts and seeds
4.	Rice, wheat flour and Maida, fortified cereal products	06 – Cereal and cereal products, derived from cereal grains, from roots and tubers, pulses, legumes and pitch or soft core of pal tree, excluding bakery wares of food caterory 7.0
5.	Fortified bakery wares	07 – Bakery Products
6.	Salt	12 – salts, spices, soups, salads & protein products

 

The manual on the process flow of applying for the + F endorsement certificate is available at FoSCos website (https://foscos.fssai.gov.in/user-manual). One can search the FBO’s with a valid + F endorsement certificate under the FBO search panel on the FoSCoS homepage. The FSSAI has also asked the state authorities to perform random checks to see if there is non-compliance of the regulations.

 

References:

1. SOP for applying+ F Endorsement Certificate for Fortified food products in FoSCoS. Available at: https://www.fssai.gov.in/upload/advisories/2021/04/6075664fc329dLetter_Fortified_Food_FoSCoS_13_04_2021.pdf . Accessed on 9 th May, 2021.