21 December,2017 08:00 AM IST | Mumbai | Rupsa Chakraborty
Just like red and green dots on products to signify if they are non-vegetarian or vegetarian, FSSAI introduces new mark for organic products
Even as the Indian market is flooded with organic foods, which appear to be the new health trend, the question of how genuine these products are continues to worry buyers. To set certain standards, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has introduced the Jaivik Bharat logo to help customers identify authentic organic food.
Just like the green and red dots, used to distinguish between vegetarian and non-vegetarian food, the government has launched a new logo for organic products. Henceforth, no dealer can sell an organic product without the logo. Any producer or supplier found violating the rule could stand to lose his/her licence and registration. To obtain the logo, the product would have to meet specific standards of organic farming (see box).
The logo released by the FSSAI
The new green logo bears a circle, leaf and a tick mark. The circle represents global holistic wellness, the leaf represents nature, and the tick mark denotes the product as FSSAI certified, an official said. FSSAI decided to introduce the logo after receiving several complaints about fake organic products in the market. "We already have two bodies, Organic Production (NPOP) and Participatory Guarantee System for India (PGS-India), which provide certificate to producers and dealers. The logo, however, will help customers identify organic products without any hassle," said VK Panchal, deputy director of FSSAI. Customers can also file a complaint with the FSSAI if a dealer is found selling organic products without the logo.
As per the new rules, if one wants to sell an organic product, he/she would first need to procure registration from NPOP and PGS-India. The dealer will then need to submit the certificates to procure permission to print the logo on the products. "The product shall carry a quality assurance mark in addition to the labelling requirements of one of the systems mentioned in addition to the FSSAI logo. All organic food should comply with the packaging and labelling requirements specified under the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Regulations, 2011," states the rule.
