Report

Several sweet shops in Pune have stopped displaying key details like manufacturing date, best-before date, and even price tags on their mithai. This move follows the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) decision in November 2023 to make date labelling voluntary for loose sweets, reversing its 2020 rule that had made such information mandatory. The lack of transparency has sparked health concerns, especially after Good Luck Cafe, an iconic Pune eatery, faced a temporary licence suspension last Sunday when officials found hygiene issues and a glass piece in a bun maska. Medical practitioners warn that sweets, especially milk-based ones, have a short shelf life and are prone to microbial growth. Eating stale or expired sweets can cause food poisoning, headaches, vomiting, and severe digestive issues.

Consumers Feel Misled

Residents say the rollback leaves them unable to check freshness or quality. “Earlier, after the 2020 mandate, it was easy to pick mithai based on its freshness. Now, most shops don’t mention best-before dates. In many places, even price tags are missing. Consumers have lost the ability to make informed choices,” said Rohan Jadhav, a customer from Dange Chowk.

Regulation Changes

The Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011, had introduced best-before labelling. These were replaced by the Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020, making date display mandatory. However, in November 2023, FSSAI made the rule voluntary, stating that its scientific panel needed more discussion on date declarations for non-packaged sweets. Since then, most sweet shops have stopped displaying this information, reducing transparency.

What Shop Owners Say

Many shop owners claim that since the revised rules make date display optional and inspections are rare, they no longer include manufacturing or best-before details.

Source: The Indian Express