NEW DELHI: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has suspended the licence of a packaged drinking water manufacturer in Tripura and prohibited the manufacture, storage, distribution and sale of a dietary food supplement made by a Punjab-based company after inspections found serious food safety and regulatory violations.The licence of M/S Matri Drinking Water, Gomati, Tripura, was suspended with immediate effect following a complaint about foreign material in packaged drinking water. Inspectors found finished products stored outside the facility and on the floor alongside non-food materials, unhygienic processing and filling areas, rusted RO water storage tanks and chemical dosing containers, inadequate pest control and sanitation, and the absence of mandatory testing, maintenance and training records. A qualified technical supervisor was also not available during the inspection.In a separate action, FSSAI prohibited the manufacture, storage, distribution and sale of Venolex Forte, marketed by M/S Noble Healthcare, Mohali, saying the dietary food supplement contained ingredients not permitted under the Food Safety and Standards (Health Supplements, Nutraceuticals, Food for Special Dietary Use, Food for Special Medical Purpose, Functional Food and Novel Food) Regulations, 2022.
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The regulator said the product contained pharmacologically active ingredients, including calcium dobesilate, diosmin and Euphorbia prostrata, which are not permitted in food supplements. It also found that the product contained 90 mg of vitamin C, which appeared to exceed the Recommended Dietary Allowance prescribed under the ICMR-NIN Guidelines, 2020.FSSAI also said the product’s labelling was misleading, creating the impression of specific regulatory approval, and that it was manufactured and marketed beyond the scope of the firm’s FSSAI licence. The prohibition order has been issued under Section 36(3)(b) of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
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