Printing ‘Best before date’ on sweets must from October 1

TIL Desk/Business/New Delhi/ While buying sweets, you must now check the ‘Best before date’ as it has been made compulsory for the sweetmakers to mention it on the product. The new norm will be in force from October 1. It means the shopkeeper has to inform the customer that till what date the dessert will remain edible.

However, it will not be mandatory to write the date of manufacture of the product, as the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has left it to the will of the manufacturers. Federation of Sweets and Namkeen Manufactures (FSNM) director Feroze Naqvi said that this has brought great relief to the confectioners, but will also face difficulties in writing ‘Best before date’ as it is not practical.

In a September 25 order, the FSSAI has made it mandatory from October 1 to write ‘Best before date’ on sweets plates in shops for the open sale of sweets, but there will be no restriction on the date for making sweets. The FSSAI has stated in the order that it would be optional to write the date of making.