India is the second largest food producer (after China). Although India had several laws and regulations covering food, there was no single law that could significantly regulate functional foods.
In 2006, the Indian government passed the Food Safety and Standards Act to integrate and streamline many of the regulations relating to nutraceuticals, food and dietary supplements. Law calls for creation of Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSAI)
The Food Safety Law consists of 12 chapters. Chapter IV of Article 22 describes functional foods, nutritional supplements, and nutraceuticals. These products cannot be classified as curative and prophylactic but may provide health benefits.
According to the law, functional foods are foods that are specially formulated to meet certain physiological or physical needs. At the same time, the product should differ from similar general-purpose food products in the content of functional ingredients.
The list of functional ingredients includes:
• concentrates/extracts of plants or plant substances in the form of solutions/powder;
• biologically active substances (minerals, vitamins, proteins or enzymes) in amounts not exceeding the daily allowance;
• substances of animal origin;
• substances that increase the nutritional value of the product;
• food for special dietary nutrition in the form of powders, granules, tablets, capsules, liquids, jellies and other forms, except for products for parenteral nutrition;
• products that do not include medicines and Ayurvedic preparations;
• products that are not curative or preventive;
• products that do not contain narcotic or psychotropic substances.