BENGALURU: Food Safety and Drug Administration Department (FDA) has begun collecting samples of imported chocolates from across the state in view of concerns over traces of alcohol in them.
Many of these chocolates are widely consumed, but their labels often don’t warn consumers, especially children, about the alcohol content in them, a senior FDA official told TNIE.
The department is now focusing on label compliance, especially with regard to products sold without clear alcohol disclosure. The department has launched the drive after it received a directive from Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), New Delhi, as part of its National Annual Surveillance Plan (NASP).
According to the directive, all states should conduct monthly product-specific sampling drives to identify potential food safety risks, including contamination, adulteration and non-compliance with labelling standards. For May, the focus is on ‘Imported Food Products’ with food safety officers tasked to collect five samples of any imported food available in the domestic market. Karnataka has started this by collecting chocolate samples.
The samples will be tested for quality, safety, and compliance with labelling and advertising regulations. The data collected will be uploaded to the central Food Safety Compliance System (FoSCoS) and used to initiate action against violators, the directive said. The department has collected 23 samples so far.
An official said alcohol is not a mandatory ingredient in chocolates, but some foreign brands use it to enhance flavour, especially in “liqueur-filled or truffle varieties”. The alcohol content in such chocolates ranges from 1 to 5% by volume. As per food safety regulations, any presence of alcohol should be mentioned on the product labels. This is because children and certain groups have been prohibited from consuming alcohol.
“Excessive or undisclosed alcohol content can pose health risks and violate labelling laws. The tests aim at ensuring that all imported chocolates meet the safety and labelling standards to protect consumers,” the official said.