Ayurveda Diet products : Food Safety and Standards (Ayurveda Aahar) Regulations, 2022

419. SHRIMATI HEMA MALINI:

Will the Minister of AYUSH be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Ministry has formulated rules for ‘Ayurveda Diet’ products;

(b) if so, the details thereof;

(c) whether adequate measures are being taken to create public awareness towards ‘Ayurveda Diet’; and

(d) if so, the details thereof?

(a) and (b): Yes, Madam. In order to recognize India’s age old principles of Ayurveda and the Aahar prepared as per ancient texts, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has formulated Food Safety and Standards (Ayurveda Aahar) Regulations, 2022 in consultation with the Ministry of Ayush and notified the regulations in the official gazette on 5th May, 2022.

The regulations define “Ayurveda Aahar” a food prepared in accordance with the recipes or ingredients or processes as per method described in the authoritative books of Ayurveda listed under ‘Schedule A’ of these regulations. The Regulations, inter-alia, exclude:

• Ayurvedic drugs or proprietary Ayurvedic medicines and medicinal products, cosmetics, narcotic or psychotropic substances,
• Herbs  listed  under  Schedule  E-1  of  Drugs  &  Cosmetics  Act,  1940  and  Rules  1945 thereunder.
• Metals based Ayurvedic drugs or medicines, bhasma or pishti,
• Any other ingredients notified by the Authority from time to time,
• Food  items  in  daily use  (pulses,  rice,  flour,  vegetables)  without  addition  of  Ayurveda ingredients.

For ease of identification and assurance about genuineness of the product, all such products shall carry word “AYURVEDA AAHAR” in close proximity to the product; and the specified logo in front of the pack of the label. The label shall carry statutory warning – ‘ONLY FOR DIETARY USE’. Other labelling requirements have also been specified.

 

(c) and (d): Yes, Madam. FSSAI has formulated a logo for Ayurveda Aahar to create its unique identity for easy identification and the same was launched by the Hon’ble Minister for Health and Family Welfare on June 07, 2022. The Ministry implements the Central Sector Scheme for Promotion of Information Education and Communication (IEC) in AYUSH to create awareness regarding AYUSH Systems of Medicine. This aims to reach out to all sections of the population across the country. This scheme provides assistance for organizing National/State Arogya Fairs, Yoga Fests/Utsavs, Ayurveda Parvs etc. The Ministry also undertakes Multi-Media, Print Media Campaigns for creating awareness about Ayush systems.

Under the Convergence of Poshan Abhiyan, Ministry of Ayush is a key partner of Ministry of Women and Child Development. Ministry of Ayush has actively participated in the Jan andolan activities under Poshan Abhiyan celebrated as Poshan Pakhwada (around March) and Poshan Maah (during the month of September) every year. During the Rashtriya Poshan Maah theme wise activities are conducted throughout the country. These activities include awareness campaigns on Ayurveda for well being, awareness about regional and seasonal food, traditional food for healthy mother and child, recipe competition etc.

Ministry of Ayush also participated in the celebration of Poshan Maah and Poshan Pakhwada organized by the Ministry of Women and Child Development through the National Institutes/Research Councils under the Ministry and had also requested to all the Ayush Departments of all the States/UTs for the same. The week wise activities covered under Rashtriya Poshan Maah to promote “Ayush Aahar” in the country are as under:

• First Week: Plantation activity in the form of Poshan Vatika at the spaces available in Aanganwadi Centres, Gram Panchayat, Schools, etc.
• Second Week: Yoga and Ayush for Nutrition (Yoga Sessions targeted for various groups like pregnant women, children and adolescent girls).
• Third Week: Distribution of Nutrition Kits comprising of regional nutritious food to beneficiaries of Aanganwadi along with IEC material in high burden districts.
• Fourth  Week:  Identification  of  Severely  Acute  Malnourished  (SAM)  children  and organising Community Kitchen for the beneficiaries.
• As per the “Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0” guidelines published by Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India, role of Ministry of Ayush is as follows –
• To recommend simple Ayurveda interventions to improve digestive capacity
• To populate Poshan Vatikas with medicinal plant and saplings, technical assistance, etc.
• To recommend local recipes integrating locally grown vegetables & food substances, red rice, various millets etc. Ghee or locally produced oils in THR recipes and Cow’s milk.
• To recommend various AYUSH practices/ products that have been successfully used for reducing wasting, anemia, and low birth weight and bolster immunity. Convergence of 7 lakh AYUSH registered practitioners with States/UTs to derive maximum benefits
• Anganwadi workers to be encouraged to undergo the short training programs developed by Ministry of Ayush in collaboration with Skill council for “Ayurveda Poshan Sahayak’ to strengthen integration of AYUSH component.

All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) under Ministry of Ayush is creating awareness for Ayurveda ahara by circulating IEC material in Community through health check camps and displayed the same in respective facilities.

Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda (ITRA), under Ministry of Ayush has organized Awareness lectures about Ayurveda Aahar in public interest. Further, following activities has also been conducted by ITRA-

• Exhibition of banners on Aahar,
• Distribution of IEC material,
• Nukkad Natak on Ayurveda Aahar,
• Teachers Training Program

National Institute of Ayurveda (NIA) under Ministry of Ayush had organised a three day long Ayush Expo and Food festival from 11th to 13th March’2022 at Shilpgram, Jawahar Kala Kendra, Jaipur. The expo was an extension to the expo held on 2nd November 2021 for Ayurveda day 2021 themed “Ayurveda for Poshan”. The main purpose of the event was to propagate and promote the idea of healthy Ayurveda nutrition amongst the general public of Rajasthan. National Institute of Ayurveda has also conducted following:

• State level cooking competition ‘Nalpaka’ for general public in which the participants prepared various Ayush Aahara.
• Institute level competitions for preparation of Ayush Aahara.
• Prepared IEC material displayed at “ Kartavya Path” , “Indian International Trade fair” , Bharat Parv , Global Ayush Investment and Innovation Summit (held at Gandhinagar) and at various other expo and fairs.
• Many food items prepared with the guidelines like – JauSattu (3 variants), Ayush Atta, Triphala Jam and Ragi cookies etc were also displayed and sold at Kartavya Path” , “Indian International Trade fair” , Bharat Parv , Global Ayush Investment and Innovation Summit (held at Gandhinagar) and at various other expo and fairs.
• Awareness lectures and camps in and around Jaipur.

Rashtriya Ayurveda Vidyapeeth (RAV) has conducted one day sensitization programme on ‘Ayurveda Aahara’ on 28.01.2023 at Delhi.

The Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) is organizing various activities viz. Ayurveda day, Poshan maah (in the month of September), poshan pakhwada (in the month of march) and also participating in various webinars, seminars, conferences for creating public awareness towards Ayurveda diet and products through its robust network of 30 peripheral institutes and Headquarters office under the directives of Ministry of Ayush. CCRAS is also organizing regular lectures for awareness through Out Patient Department (OPD) and research oriented outreach health care programme viz. Tribal health care research programme, Women and child health care program under SCSP, Ayurveda mobile health care program under SCSP, National Programme for prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardio-vascular disease and Stroke (NPCDCS) and north east programs in all peripheral units. During the celebration of 7th Ayurveda day 2022, approximately 127 Ayurveda Aahar related activities were organized by the CCRAS and total number of beneficiaries were approximately 22914.

CCRAS has also published Ayurveda Based Diet and Life Style Guidelines for Prevention of Cardiac Disorders, Ayurveda based diet & life Style Guidelines for Prevention and Management of Skin Diseases and Ayurveda-Based Dietary Guidelines for Mental Disorders which are available on the CCRAS’s website.

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