SRINAGAR: 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 marketed by a Punjab-based company following inspections that detected multiple food safety and regulatory violations.
The licence of M/S Matri Drinking Water, Gomati, Tripura, was suspended with immediate effect after a complaint regarding foreign material in packaged drinking water. During inspection, officials found finished products kept outside the premises and on the floor alongside non-food materials.
The inspection also detected unhygienic processing and filling areas, rusted reverse osmosis (RO) water storage tanks and chemical dosing containers, inadequate pest control and sanitation, and missing mandatory testing, maintenance and training records. A qualified technical supervisor was also not present during the inspection.
In a separate regulatory action, FSSAI prohibited the manufacture, storage, distribution and sale of Venolex Forte, marketed by M/S Noble Healthcare, Mohali, after finding that 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.
According to FSSAI, Venolex Forte contains pharmacologically active ingredients, including calcium dobesilate, diosmin and Euphorbia prostrata, which are not permitted for use in food supplements.
The regulator also found that the product contained 90 mg of vitamin C, which appeared to be above the Recommended Dietary Allowance prescribed under the ICMR-NIN Guidelines, 2020.
FSSAI further said the product’s labelling was misleading and gave the impression that it had specific regulatory approval. The product was also found to have been manufactured and marketed beyond the scope of the company’s FSSAI licence.
The prohibition order against Venolex Forte was issued under Section 36(3)(b) of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
