| FPO mark | |
| Expansion: | Fruit products order |
| Agency: | Ministry of Food Processing Industries (India) |
| Region: | India |
| Products: | Processed fruit products |
| Legalstatus: | Mandatory |
| Mandatorysince: | 2006 |
The FPO mark is a certification mark mandatory on all processed fruit products sold in India such as packaged fruit beverages, fruit-jams, squashes, pickles, dehydrated fruit products, and fruit extracts, following the Food Safety and Standards Act of 2006.[1] [2] The FPO mark guarantees that the product was manufactured in a hygienic 'food-safe' environment, thus ensuring that the product is fit for consumption.
The standards have been in force since 1955 by the law of Fruit Products Order, after which the mark is named,[3] [4] but the mark itself got a mandatory status only after the Food Safety and Standards Act of 2006.[5] A FPO license is, in fact, necessary to start a fruit processing industry in India.[6] The agency that develops standards for this purpose and that which issues the mark is the Ministry of Food Processing Industries of the Government of India.
- Containers and labeling requirement
- Limits of poisonous metals in fruit products
- List of permissible harmless food colors
- Limits for permitted preservatives in fruit products
- Other permitted additives
The important documents that are required to be submitted to the Ministry of Food Processing in India during the time of filing application are listed below: