NEW DELHI: Your organic rice, pulses and condiments would now be certified with something more than the green label. All packaged food marketed as organic would now need the stamp of approval of notified certification authorities, and must contain full and accurate information on their organic status, according to draft regulations of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

This is the first time FSSAI has formed regulations for this category of food, which is an expanding industry in an increasingly health-conscious India. According to a study by Assocham and TechSci Research, a non-government body, the current market (pulses and bulk food grains) is at $500 million, up from about $360 million in 2014. Organic food products are either grown under a system of agriculture without the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides, or made from organically produced raw materials, the draft said.

Raw commodities such as fruits, vegetables and cereal grains that are not processed and marketed directly from a farmer/producer or producer organisations to the consumer do not need the certificate.

The industry welcomed the move. This is a good first take. It will give reasons to consumers to have some more confidence. Going forward, there will surely be more refinement, said N Balasubramanian, CEO of 24 Mantra Organic.

The draft proposal offers two choices for items that claim to be organic: The produce must comply with the provisions of the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) administered by the central government. Alternatively, the items must comply with Participatory Guarantee System for India (PGS-India), run by the ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, or any other system or standards set by the food authority. The regulator has put the draft regulations in public domain for suggestions.

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Packaged organic food may need government stamp - Economic Times