Description

·       The Term Infant Means A Person Not More Than 12 Months Of Age.

·       The Term Young Children Means Persons From The Age Of More Than 12 Months Up To The Age Of Three Years.

·       The Term Calorie Means A Kilocalorie Or “Large Calorie” (1 Kilojoule Is Equivalent To 0.239 Kilocalories).

Essential Composition And Quality Factors

·       Baby Foods May Be Prepared From Any Suitable Nutritive Material That Is Used, Recognized Or Commonly Sold As An Article Or Ingredient Of Food, Including Spices.

·       Vitamins And Minerals May Only Be Added In Accordance With The Legislation Of The Country In Which The Food Is Sold.

·       The Total Sodium Content Of The Products Shall Not Exceed 200 Mg Na/100 G Calculated On The Ready-To-Eat Basis In Accordance With Directions For Use. The Addition Of Salt (Nacl) To Fruit Products And Dessert Products Based On Fruit Is Not Permitted.

Ready-To-Eat Baby Foods Are Homogeneous Or Comminuted In The Following Forms :-

·       Strained: Food Of A Fairly Uniform, Small Particle Size Which Does Not Require And Does Not Encourage Chewing Before Being Swallowed;

·       Junior: Food That Ordinarily Contains Particles Of A Size To Encourage Chewing By Infants And Children.

Purity Requirements :-

·       All Ingredients, Including Optional Ingredients, Shall Be Clean, Of Good Quality, Safe And With Excessive Fibre Removed Where Necessary. Fish, Meat And Poultry Ingredients Shall Be Practically Free Of Pieces Of Bones.

·       Specific Prohibition :- The Product And Its Components Shall Not Have Been Treated By Ionizing Radiation. 

Contaminants

·       The Products Covered By This Standard Shall Comply With The Maximum Levels Of The General Standard For Contaminants And Toxins In Food And Feed (Cxs 193-1995).

·       The Products Covered By This Standard Shall Comply With The Maximum Residue Limits For Pesticides And/Or Veterinary Drugs Established By The Codex Alimentarius Commission.

Hygiene

·       It Is Recommended That The Products Covered By The Provisions Of This Standard Be Prepared And Handled In Accordance With The Appropriate Sections Of The General Principles Of Food Hygiene (Cxc 1-1969), And Other Relevant Codex Texts Such As Codes Of Hygienic Practice And Codes Of Practice. The Products Should Comply With Any Microbiological Criteria Established In Accordance With The Principles And Guidelines For The Establishment And Application Of Microbiological Criteria Related To Foods (Cxg 21-1997).

Packaging

·       The Product Shall Be Packed In Containers Which Will Safeguard The Hygienic And Other Qualities Of The Food. If In Ready-To-Eat Form, It Shall Be Packed In Hermetically Sealed Containers; Nitrogen And Carbon Dioxide May Be Used As Packing Media.

Fill Of Container

·       Not Less Than 80% V/V For Products Weighing Less Than 150 G (5½ Oz.);

·       Not Less Than 85% V/V For Products Weighing Less Than 150-250 G (9 Oz.);

·       Not Less Than 90% V/V For Products Weighing More Than 250 G (9 Oz.)

·       Of The Water Capacity Of The Container. The Water Capacity Of The Container Is The Volume Of Distilled Water At 20°C Which The Sealed Container Will Hold When Completely Filled (See Cxs 234-1999 (Special Foods)).

Labelling

·       In Addition To The Requirements Of The General Standard For The Labelling Of Prepackaged Foods (Cxs 1-1985), The Following Specific Provisions Apply:

·       The Name Of The Food :- The Name Of The Product Shall Be That Of The Major Or Characterizing Ingredient(S) Accompanied By Words Suitable To Indicate The Consistency Or Intended Use.

List Of Ingredients :-

·       A Complete List Of Ingredients Shall Be Declared On The Label In Descending Order Of Proportion Except That In The Case Of Added Vitamins And Added Minerals, These Shall Be Arranged As Separate Groups For Vitamins And Minerals, Respectively, And Within These Groups The Vitamins And Minerals Need Not Be Listed In Descending Order Of Proportion.

·       The Specific Name Shall Be Declared For Ingredients And Food Additives. In Addition, Appropriate Class Names For These Ingredients And Additives May Be Included On The Label.

Declaration Of Nutritive Value

·       The Declaration Of Nutrition Information Shall Contain The Following Information In The Following Order: (A) The Amount Of Energy, Expressed In Calories (Kcal) And/Or Kilojoules (Kj), And The Number Of Gram

·       In Addition To Any Other Nutritional Information Required By National Legislation, The Total Quantity In The Final Product Of Each Vitamin And Mineral Added According To  Shall Be Declared Per 100 G As Well As According To The Serving Size Of The Food Suggested For Consumption. 

Date Marking And Storage Instructions :- 

·       The Date Of Minimum Durability (Preceded By The Words “Best Before”) Shall Be Declared By The Day, Month And Year In Uncoded Numerical Sequence Except That For Products With A Shelf-Life Of More Than Three Months, The Month And Year Will Suffice. The Month May Be Indicated By Letters In Those Countries Where Such Use Will Not Confuse The Consumer. In The Case Of Products Requiring A Declaration Of Month And Year Only, And The Shelf-Life Of The Product Is Valid To The End Of A Given Year, The Expression “End (Stated Year)” May Be Used As An Alternative.

·       In Addition To The Date, Any Special Conditions For The Storage Of The Food Shall Be Indicated If The Validity Depends Thereon.