New Regulations for Ghee by the FSSAI

The Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Sixth Amendment Regulations, 2021 details the notified regulations for ghee in the Official Gazette. Notified by The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), these standards will be effective from July 1, 2022. However, the regulations for fatty acid contents for ghee will be operational after two years of their publication in the Official Gazette.

The new guidelines encompass iodine and saponification value which are set at 25-38 and 205-235, respectively. The classification for fatty acid include saturated fatty acids including Butyric acid 1 -5%, Hexanoic acid (Caproic acid) 0.5 – 2.2%, Octanoic acid (Caprylic acid) 0.4 – 1.5%, Decanoic acid (Capric acid) 0.8- 5%, Dodecanoic acid (Lauric acid) 1.5 – 4%, Tetradecanoic acid (Myristic acid) 6- 13%, Hexadecanoic acid (Palmitic acid) 22-38%, and Octadecanoic acid (Stearic acid) 8-19%.

The definition of dairy analogues, as per Regulation 2.1, is as follows: a product in which constituents not derived from milk but take place, in part or in whole, of any milk constituent(s) and the final product resembles, organoleptically and/or functionally, milk or milk product or composite milk product. Nevertheless, this interpretation fails to include the admixtures of certain dairy products and other ingredients not exclusively derived from milk.