New Delhi: Food regulator FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) has made it mandatory for food business operators to display ‘best before date’ of non-packaged sweets with effect from Oct. 1 as part of its efforts to ensure safety.

In a letter to the Commissioner of Food Safety of all States and Union Territories, FSSAI said “…in the public interest and to ensure food safety, it has been decided that in case of non-packaged/ loose sweets, the container/ tray holding sweets at the outlet for sale should display the ‘Best Before Date’ of the product mandatorily with effect from  Oct. 1, 2020.”

The Food Business Operators (FBOs) might also display the date of manufacturing voluntarily, it added.

“The FBOs shall decide and display the ‘Best Before Date’ of sweets depending on the nature of the products and the local conditions,” the FSSAI said in the letter dated Sept. 25.

An indicative list of shelf life of various types of sweets is available on the FSSAI website.

All FBOs dealing in sweets must comply with these directions, the FSSAI said, adding that Food Safety Commissioners should ensure compliance.