On Wednesday, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) adjourned the licenses of 16 food business operatives for not fulfilling the regulator’s newest labelling norms and exhibiting the calorie count of dishes on their menus, media reports.

This notice comes just after a report stated that the food regulator had delivered a concern to eateries over the same. The regulator’s latest norms notified in November 2020 make it mandatory for restaurants and other food junctions with Central licence and more than ten outlets to mention the calorific value of orders, i.e. kcal per serving and serving size of items in their menus, boards, or booklets or scanned menus. The last date for restaurants to comply with these norms was January 1, 2022. It was later extended to July 1, 2022.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) officials inspected nearly 500 food business operatives having central and state licences. While 71 non-compliant licensees said they would make the deviations and sought more time, 16 operators did not respond. Thus, the action was undertaken, and their licenses were suspended, officials informed BusinessLine. The calorie count norms apply to restaurants and hotels holding central licenses. Moreover, restaurant chains operating outlets in ten or more locations are bound to comply with these norms. Along with this, E-commerce aggregators selling food products must also assert menu labelling of the food items on their platforms.

Apart from calorie count and serving size, cafeterias also need to mention allergen information of the food item. The FSSAI has initiated this step to promote public health, enabling consumers to make well-informed food choices.