Is There a List?

There isn’t a specific list of proprietary foods. Any food item for which there isn’t any set standardisation by FSSAI can be considered to be proprietary food. They can be made from milk or milk products, from cereals, from eggs or meat and meat products, from vegetables, fruits, or nuts or fats. Some examples: ready-to-cook cereals such as instant poha and instant upma, popcorns, chips, nachos, instant coffee and tea premixes, masala mixes for different recipes, gulab jamun mix, cake mix, etc.

The label clearly specifies that it is a proprietary food. Also, the name of a specific category is mentioned – for example, traditional food, namkeen, breakfast cereal, coffee premix, and so on.

The proprietary food can only use additives specified for the food category to which it belongs. The food category shall be clearly mentioned on the label along with its name, nature and composition.

The proprietary food product must comply with the provisions and microbiological specifications for food additives prescribed in the Food Safety and Standards Regulations (considering the revised versions). Last but not the least, the food business operator will be fully responsible for the safety of the proprietary food sold by them.

Additionally, in a corrigendum issued on 15 June 2016, the FSSAI has clearly specified the limits for addition of vitamins and minerals in the proprietary