FSSAI has gazette notified a ban on the use of diacetyl, a chemical which is used as a flavouring agent in the edible oil industry. The ban has been notified under the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restriction on Sales- Second Amendment) Regulations, 2019.

The notification stated that in the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restriction on Sales) Regulations, 2011, in Regulation 2.3, in Sub-regulation 2.3.15, after Clause 6, the following clause shall be inserted, namely “(7) Restriction on the use of diacetyl as flavouring substance in oils and fats.”

According to experts, diacetyl arises naturally as a byproduct of fermentation.

It is an organic compound, which is a yellow or green liquid with an intensely buttery flavour. It is used in food products and alcoholic beverages to give a buttery/smooth flavour.

Ashwin Bhadri, chief executive officer, Equinox Labs, said, “Diacetyl can prove hazardous to human health when heated and inhaled over a long period of time. Several cases have been registered about the workers in factories that manufacture artificial butter flavouring, who have been diagnosed with bronchiolitis obliterans. It is a rare and serious disease of the lungs which can be fatal at times.”

He added that the order, which had been issued by the country’s apex food regulator, will definitely be beneficial to thousands of workers in India that are working in such factories. It is high time that this issue is considered, and the draft should be implemented at the earliest.