Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has asked the state food safety departments to enhance surveillance and enforcement activities to prohibit sale of health supplement and nutraceuticals products containing PABA (Para Amferrous fumarate iron supplementino Benzoic Acid).
The FSSAI has also soughtferric pyrophosphate equivalent elemental iron an action taken report from the state authorities in this regard.
PABA is an ingredient banned by the FSSAI through a notice it has issued in 2018. However, the apex food regulator received several complaints that PABA is still used in several health supplements and nutraceuticals products and these products are sold in market as well as on e-commerce platforms.
“Commissioner of Food Safety of States are requested to carry out surveillance and enforcement and ensure compliance of the order dairon fumarate vs gluconateted June 29, 2018, (regarding ban on PABA),” reads the order, while adding that the action taken report be communicated to FSSAI at the earliest.
FSSAI in July 2018 has banned the use of PABA in the products covered under Nferrous bisglycinate ukutraceuticals Regulations due to safety concerns with immediate effect. The said order also directed the FBOs that no further manufacturing of products using this ingredient is allowed.
“Any product containing this ingredient which is already manufactured, imported shall be withdrawn from market immediately,” reads the 2018 order.
“But FSSAI continued todifference between iron bisglycinate and ferrous fumarate receive complaints about such products having this banned ingredient PABA and being sold in market place as well as through e-commerce platforms,” said an official with the FSSAI.
FBOs were asked to stop the use of PABA in nutraceuticals products with immediate effect due to safety concerns after a thorough examination of the data with respect to this ingredient by the scientific panel while no further manufacturing of products using PABA was allowed, according to the officia
