Description

·       Processed Cereal-Based Foods Are Prepared Primarily From One Or More Milled Cereals, Which Should Constitute At Least 25% Of The Final Mixture On A Dry Weight Basis.

·       Four Categories Are Distinguished:

·       Products Consisting Of Cereals Which Are Or Have To Be Prepared For Consumption With Milk Or Other Appropriate Nutritious Liquids;

·       Cereals With An Added High Protein Food Which Are Or Have To Be Prepared For Consumption With Water Or Other Appropriate Protein-Free Liquid;

·       Rusks And Biscuits Which Are To Be Used Either Directly Or, After Pulverization, With The Addition Of Water, Milk Or Other Suitable Liquids.

Essential Composition And Quality Factors

Essential Composition :-

·       The Four Categories Listed Are Prepared Primarily From One Or More Milled Cereal Products, Such As Wheat, Rice, Barley, Oats, Rye, Maize, Millet, Sorghum And Buckwheat. They May Also Contain Legumes (Pulses), Starchy Roots (Such As Arrow Root, Yam Or Cassava) Or Starchy Stems Or Oil Seeds In Smaller Proportions.

·       The Requirements Concerning Energy And Nutrients Refer To The Product Ready For Use As Marketed Or Prepared According To The Instructions Of The Manufacturer, Unless Otherwise Specified.

Energy Density :-

·       The Energy Density Of Cereal-Based Foods Should Not Be Less Than 3.3 Kj/G (0.8 Kcal/G).

Protein :- 

·       The Chemical Index Of The Added Protein Shall Be Equal To At Least 80% Of That Of The Reference Protein Casein Or The Protein Efficiency Ratio (Per) Of The Protein In The Mixture Shall Be Equal To At Least 70% Of That Of The Reference Protein Casein. In All Cases, The Addition Of Amino Acids Is Permitted Solely For The Purpose Of Improving The Nutritional Value Of The Protein Mixture, And Only In The Proportions Necessary For That Purpose. Only Natural Forms Of L-Amino Acids Should Be Used.

Carbohydrates :- 

·       The Amount Of Added Carbohydrates From These Sources Shall Not Exceed 1.8 G/100 Kj (7.5 G/100 Kcal);

·       The Amount Of Added Fructose Shall Not Exceed 0.9 G/100 Kj (3.75 G/100 Kcal).

Vitamins :-

·       The Amount Of Vitamin B1 (Thiamin) Shall Not Be Less Than 12.5µg/100 Kj (50µg/100 Kcal).

·       For Products Mentioned In The Amount Of Vitamin A And Vitamin D Shall Be Within The Following Limits: 

·       Vitamin A (µg Retinol Equivalents) – (14 -43) – (60-180)

·       Vitamin D – (0.250.75) – (1-3)

Optional Ingredients :- 

·       In Addition To The Ingredients Listed Under Ingredients Suitable For Infants Who Are More Than Six Months Of Age And For Young Children Can Be Used. 

·       Products Containing Honey Or Maple Syrup Should Be Processed In Such A Way As To Destroy Spores Of Clostridium Botulinum, If Present.

·       Only L(+) Lactic Acid Producing Cultures May Be Used.

Quality Factors:- 

·       All Ingredients, Including Optional Ingredients, Shall Be Clean, Safe, Suitable And Of Good Quality. .

·       All Processing And Drying Should Be Carried Out In A Manner That Minimizes Loss Of Nutritive Value, Particularly Protein Quality.

·       The Moisture Content Of The Products Shall Be Governed By Good Manufacturing Practice For The Individual Product Categories And Shall Be At Such A Level That There Is A Minimum Loss Of Nutritive Value And At Which Microorganisms Cannot Multiply.

Consistency And Particle Size :- 

·       When Prepared According To The Label Directions For Use, Processed Cereal-Based Foods Should Have A Texture Appropriate For The Spoon Feeding Of Infants Or Young Children Of The Age For Which The Product Is Intended.

·       Rusks And Biscuits May Be Used In The Dry Form So As To Permit And Encourage Chewing Or They May Be Used In A Liquid Form, By Mixing With Water Or Other Suitable Liquid That Would Be Similar In Consistency To Dry Cereals.

Specific Prohibition:- 

·       The Product And Its Components Shall Not Have Been Treated By Ionizing Radiation.

·       The Product And Its Components Shall Not Have Been Treated By Ionizing Radiation.

Food Additives

·       The Amount Of The Food Additive In The Raw Materials Or Other Ingredients (Including Food Additives) Does Not Exceed The Maximum Level Specified; 

·       The Food Into Which The Food Additive Is Carried Over Does Not Contain The Food Additive In Greater Quantity Than Would Be Introduced By The Use Of The Raw Materials Or Ingredients Under Good Manufacturing Practice, Consistent With The Provisions On Carry-Over In The Preamble Of The General Standard For Food Additives (Cxs 192-1995).

·       The Following Additives Are Permitted In The Preparation Of Processed Cereal-Based Foods For Infants And Young Children, As Described In Section 2.1 Of This Standard (In 100 G Of Product, Ready For Consumption Prepared Following Manufacturer’s Instructions Unless Otherwise Indicated).

Ins No.

Maximum Level

Emulsifiers

322

Lecithins

1500 Mg

471

Mono- And Diglycerides

472a

Acetic And Fatty Acid Esters Of Glycerol

500 Mg

472b

Lactic And Fatty Acid Esters Of Glycerol

Singly Or In Combination

472c

Citric And Fatty Acid Esters Of Glycerol

Acidity Regulators

500 Ii

Sodium Hydrogen Carbonate

Gmp

501 Ii

Potassium Hydrogen Carbonate

Gmp

170 I

Calcium Carbonate

Gmp

270

L(+) Lactic Acid

Gmp

330

Citric Acid

Gmp

260

Acetic Acid

Gmp

261

Potassium Acetates

262 I

Sodium Acetate

263

Calcium Acetate

296

Malic Acid (Dl) – L(+)-Form Only

325

Sodium Lactate (Solution) – L(+)-Form Only

326

Potassium Lactate (Solution) – L(+)- Form Only

327

Calcium Lactate – L(+)-Form Only

331 I

Monosodium Citrate

331 Ii

Trisodium Citrate

332 I

Monopotassium Citrate

332 Ii

Tripotassium Citrate

333

Calcium Citrate

507

Hydrochloric Acid

524

Sodium Hydroxide

525

Potassium Hydroxide

526

Calcium Hydroxide

575

Glucono Delta-Lactone

Gmp

334

L(+)-Tartaric Acid – L(+)Form Only

500 Mg Singly Or In Combination

335 Ii

Disodium Tartrate

337

Potassium Sodium L(+)Tartrate L(+)Form Only

Tartrates As Residue In Biscuits And Rusks

338

Orthophosphoric Acid

Only For Ph Adjustment 440 Mg

339 I

Monosodium Orthophosphate

Singly Or In Combination As Phosphorous

339 Ii

Disodium Orthophosphate

339 Iii

Trisodium Orthophosphate

340 I

Monopotassium Orthophosphate

340 Ii

Dipotassium Orthophosphate

340 Iii

Tripotassium Orthophosphate

341 I

Monocalcium Orthophosphate

341 Ii

Dicalcium Orthophosphate

341 Iii

Tricalcium Orthophosphate

Antioxidants

306

Mixed Tocopherols Concentrate

300 Mg/Kg Fat Or Oil Basis, Singly Or In Combination

307

Alpha-Tocopherol

304

L-Ascorbyl Palmitate

200 Mg/Kg Fat

300

L-Ascorbic Acid

301

Sodium Ascorbate

50 Mg, Expressed As Ascorbic Acid

303

Potassium Ascorbate

302

Calcium Ascorbate

20 Mg, Expressed As Ascorbic Acid

Raising Agents

503 I

Ammonium Carbonate

Limited By Gmp

503 Ii

Ammonium Hydrogen Carbonate

500 I

Sodium Carbonate

500 Ii

Sodium Hydrogen Carbonate

Thickeners

410

Carob Bean Gum

412

Guar Gum

414

Gum Arabic

1000 Mg Singly Or In

Combination

415

Xanthan Gum

2000 Mg In Gluten-Free

Cereal-Based Foods

440

Pectins (Amidated And Non-Amidated)

1404

Oxidized Starch

1410

Monostarch Phosphate

1412

Distarch Phosphate

1413

Phosphated Distarch Phosphate

1414

Acetylated Distarch Phosphate

5000 Mg

1422

Acetylated Distarch Adipate

Singly Or In Combination

1420

Starch Acetate Esterified With Acetic Anhydride

1450

Starch Sodium Octenyl Succinate

1451

Acetylated Oxidized Starch

Anticaking Agents

551

Silicon Dioxide (Amorphous)

200 Mg For Dry Cereals Only

Packaging Gases

290

Carbon Dioxide

Gmp

941

Nitrogen

Gmp

Contaminants

·       The Product Shall Be Prepared With Special Care Under Good Manufacturing Practices, So That Residues Of Those Pesticides Which May Be Required In The Production, Storage Or Processing Of The Raw Materials Or The Finished Food Ingredient Do Not Remain, Or, If Technically Unavoidable, Are Reduced To The Maximum Extent Possible.

·       These Measures Shall Take Into Account The Specific Nature Of The Products Concerned And The Specific Population Group For Which They Are Intended.

·       Other Contaminants :- The Product Shall Be Free From Residues Of Hormones, Antibiotics As Determined By Means Of Agreed Methods Of Analysis And Practically Free From Other Contaminants, Especially Pharmacologically Active Substances

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 Product 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.

·       The Containers, Including Packaging Material, Shall Be Made Only Of Substances Which Are Safe And Suitable For Their Intended Use. Where The Codex Alimentarius Commission Has Established A Standard For Any Such Substance Used As Packaging Material, That Standard Shall Apply.

Labelling 

·       The Requirements Of The General Standard For The Labelling Of Prepackaged Foods (Cxs 1-1985), The Guidelines On Nutrition Labelling (Cxg 2-1985) And The Guidelines For Use Of Nutrition And Health Claims (Cxg 23-1997) Apply To This Standard. With Specific Reference To Section 7 Of The General Standard For The Labelling Of Prepackaged Foods National Jurisdictions May Further Restrict The Use Of Pictorial Devices.

·       Taking Into Account Paragraph 1.4 Of The Guidelines For Use Of Nutrition And Health Claims, Nutrition Claims May Be Permitted Under National Legislation For The Foods That Are The Subject Of The Standard Provided That They Have Been Demonstrated In Rigorous Studies With Adequate Scientific Standards.

·       Any Indication Required In The Labelling Should Be Made In The Appropriate Language(S) Of The Country In Which The Product Is Sold.

The Name Of The Food :-

·       The Name Of The Food Shall Be “Dry Cereal For Infants (And/Or Young Children)”, “Rusks For Infants (And/Or Young Children)” Or “Biscuits (Or “Milk Biscuits”) For Infants (And/Or Young Children)” Or “Pasta For Infants (And/Or Young Children)”, Or Any Appropriate Designation Indicating The True Nature Of The Food, In Accordance With National Legislation.

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 Minerals, These May 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 Energy Value, Expressed In Kilocalories (Kcal) And Kilojoules (Kj), And The Amount Of Protein, Carbohydrate And Fat Expressed In Grammes (G) Per 100 G Or 100 Ml Of The Food As Sold, And Where Appropriate, As Per Specified Quantity Of The Food As Suggested For Consumption;

·       The Average Amount Of Each Vitamin And Mineral For Which Specific Levels Are Defined In Section 3.6 And 3.7 Expressed In Numerical Form Per 100g Or 100 Ml Of The Food As Sold And, Where Appropriate, As Per Specified Quantity Of The Food As Suggested For Consumption;

·       Any Other Nutritional Information Required By National Legislation.

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 Shelflife 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 Of The Date Depends Thereon.

·       Where Practicable, Storage Instructions Shall Be In Close Proximity To The Date Marking.