Importing formulated foods now easy

Patients suffering from rare metabolic disorders will now have to submit only a signed declaration

More than 500 inherited metabolic diseases are known in India. Some of the inherited metabolic diseases include galactosemia (carbohydrate metabolism disorder), Glycogen Storage Disease, phenylketonuria (amino acid metabolism disorder), methylmalonic acidemias (organic acid metabolism) etc. Patients suffering from such disorders are prescribed specially formulated foods by doctors, some of which may not be available in India.

SPECIAL CONDITIONS
New Delhi: For patients suffering from rare diseases, particularly metabolic disorders, procuring specially formulated foods from abroad has finally been made easy. On Wednesday, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) issued an order to simplify the procedure of importing such special foods. The apex food regulator has said that now a signed declaration would be enough for bringing in these items to India from any other country.

“Patients with certain life-threatening diseases are sometimes prescribed by doctors special food formulations that are not manufactured in India, and are required to be brought in from other countries. It has come to the notice of the FSSAI that patients find it difficult to get these special food formulations due to lack of knowledge of import rules,” SK Yadav, Director (imports), FSSAI said in his order. “To make things easy, a signed declaration form to authorised officer of FSSAI/Customs submitted either personally or through email will be sufficient to import specially formulated foods for personal use,” he said in the order.

FSSAI has written to the Director (Customs), Ministry of Finance, Department of Revenue, and all officials of Customs Department working as Authorised Officers to circulate the order.

The order brings in hope to several patients and their families. Pooja Mehta, who lost her nine-month-old daughter Nanki to a metabolism and genetic disorder Glycogen Storage Disease (GSD), said that she welcomed the move.

“In India, we don not have suitable alternatives. We would have to import Nanki's food from the United States, which was a troublesome task. The move will help such patients,” said Mehta. The 28-year-old is also associated with Metabolic Errors and Rare Diseases organisation of India (MERD) India. The NGO has appealed to the government for making specially formulated foods available in India at nominal prices to make them within everyone's reach.