Correct Answer - Option 1 : Indian Food Standards Quick Access
A system integrating all Food Safety and Regulations for providing quick access to vertical as well as horizontal standards is called Indian Food Standards Quick Access
- FSSAI - Food Safety and Standards Authority of India
- It develops a system "IFS.QA"
- IFS.QA full form: Indian Food Standards - Quick Access
- It facilitates the users to access information regarding
- product-specific quality standards,
- permitted food additives,
- hierarchical food category code in line with the codex food categorization system,
- metal contaminants,
- pesticide residues,
- microbiological contaminants.
- It also provides provisions for food businesses for improving food quality standards.
Horizontal Standards: Horizontal standards cut across foods or categories of foods. These standards are covered in two principal regulations:
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Food Safety and Standards (Contaminants, Toxins, and Residues) Regulations 2011 The regulations contain maximum levels (MLs) / Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs) of various chemicals and toxins, including heavy metal, crop contaminants, and naturally occurring toxic substances.
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Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Regulations 2011 These prescribe general labeling requirements for all pre-packaged foods which include a declaration of the list of ingredients, Best before date, date of manufacture, date of packaging on packaged food, use by date, expiry date, vegetarian/ non-vegetarian food, etc.
- It also prescribes some product-specific labeling requirements.
Vertical Standards: Vertical standards mainly include identity and compositional standards of specific food products:
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Food Safety and Standards (Food Product Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011: These regulations contain vertical standards for various types of foods.
- These Regulations also contain provisions for use of additives in various foods microbiological requirements in respect of several categories of foods.
- Food Safety and Standards (Health Supplements, Nutraceuticals, Food for Special Dietary Use, Food for Special Medical Purpose, Functional Food, and Novel
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Food) Regulations, 2016: These regulations prescribe standards for eight categories like health supplements, nutraceuticals, food for special dietary use, food for special medical purpose, specialty food containing plant or botanicals, foods containing probiotics, foods containing prebiotics, and Novel Food products.
