FSSAI penalises Fortune Fryola manufacturer, stops sale of Monk Fruit Sweetener
New Delhi: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has taken action against two food products, imposing a penalty on the maker of a fortified sunflower oil and prohibiting the sale of a popular natural sweetener over regulatory violations.
The regulator penalised AWL Agri Business Ltd, Mangaluru, after laboratory tests on a retail sample of Fortune 'Fryola' Refined Sunflower Seed Oil found its vitamin D content to be below the prescribed standard. The product was declared substandard under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
According to FSSAI, the company was given an opportunity to present its case, but the adjudicating authority concluded that it had manufactured and marketed a substandard fortified edible oil. A monetary penalty was subsequently imposed.
In a separate action, FSSAI prohibited the sale of PIE Foods' Monk Fruit Sweetener, a zero-calorie sugar substitute derived from monk fruit. Inspections revealed that cartons of the product were stored at the company's premises without the requisite manufacturing licence.
The regulator also alleged that the product carried claims such as '100% Monk Fruit Extract' and 'Natural Ingredients', while its online listing did not include the mandatory endorsement required under food safety regulations. Additionally, the company failed to produce records demonstrating that the monk fruit extract had been procured in accordance with the Food Safety and Standards Act.
The prohibition order will remain in force until the product complies with all provisions of the Act and its related regulations.
FSSAI stated that these actions are part of its ongoing effort to tighten enforcement against food business operators and ensure that products available to consumers meet prescribed safety and quality standards.
