Nashik: The Nashik division of the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) seized the stock of a branded artificial sweetener worth Rs 2.39 lakh from two vendors in the city after they found that the claims made by the brand on the label of its product contradicted with the norms laid down by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
Samples of the sugar-free sweetener have been sent to a government lab for analysis.
The FDA said that under a certain section of the FSSAI, a manufacturer is barred from making misleading advertisements.
Off late, a large number of health conscious people have started using artificial sweeteners to do away with the side effects of sugar.
FDA officials said that the label on the seized product reads that it is 100% safe for consumption.
However, at the same time, the label also suggests that a particular ingredient used in the product carries aspartame which is not appropriate for children and those suffering from phenylketonuria (a metabolic disorder that causes an amino acid called phenylalanine to build up in one’s body).
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Further, the label on the product reads that the product is sugar-free, but, at the same time, it also contains lactose and dextrose which are forms of sugar.
The contradictions in the claim of the product are misleading customers, said officials. On this backdrop, the products were seized from the vendors. While samples worth Rs 1.03 lakh were seized from one trader, stock worth Rs 1.36 lakh was seized from another.
FDA officials said that necessary action will be taken against the said brand if the reports are positive and unsafe for human life and health.
Officials also said that people these days are becoming extremely health conscious. Many have started giving up consumption of sugar given its bad effects on health and have instead switched to artificial sweeteners.
“Therefore, it is extremely necessary to verify and investigate if the alternatives to sugar available in the markets are safe or not for human life and health,” said officials.
