New Delhi, April 11, 2025 – The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) dropped a game-changer Thursday, tweaking rules to let ice cream makers toss in sweets, flowers, and malt-based goodies—think gulab jamun or rose petal swirls—while cracking down on ultra-processed junk. The move, briefed to the Union health ministry, aims to split ice creams (dairy fat only) from frozen desserts (veggie oil allowed), giving consumers clearer labels and healthier scoops as summer heats up.
The shift, per Live Mint, lets firms like Amul and Naturals roll out new flavors—jalebi ice cream, anyone?—after years of dairy-only limits. “It’s about variety and health,” an FSSAI insider told The Indian Express, flagging natural ingredients over synthetic stabilizers. Ice creams must stick to milk or dairy fat; frozen desserts can keep their veggie fat gig—both now need bold packaging tags. India’s Rs 30,000 crore ice cream market, chugging 450 ml per head yearly, grows 10% a clip (IICMA, 2024)—this could juice it further.
Why now? The Economic Survey 2024-25 slammed ultra-processed foods—think high-sugar, additive-packed cones—as a health time bomb (The Hindu). “These are chemical soups—time to clean up,” Dr. Rajeev Jayadevan, ex-IMA Cochin head, told Live Mint. FSSAI’s eyeing tighter norms—calorie counts, fat breakdowns—mirroring Supreme Court’s April 9 packaged food push (Times of India). Posts on X cheer, “Finally, real ice cream!”—others scoff, “Too late for summer.”
The catch? Makers must ditch artificial overload—less emulsifiers, more milk. Big brands face a rethink—Kwality Wall’s frozen desserts might lean harder on the “not ice cream” label. For India, guzzling 60% ultra-processed diets (ICMR, 2024), it’s a gut check—will this cool the junk food craze, or just melt into more hype?
