Internal Auditing - Process, Procedure, Document Required, Fees, Eligibility, Duration

All processed fruit goods sold in India which include packaged fruit beverages, fruit jams, crushes and squashes, pickles, dehydrated fruit products, and fruit extracts, must bear the FPO mark. The FPO certificate ensures that the product has been manufactured in a hygienic environment, following quality control requirements, assuring that it is fit for human consumption.

The criteria have been in effect since 1955 when the Fruit Products Order was passed. Only after the Food Safety and Standards Act of 2006 did the FPO mark become mandatory. The Ministry of Food Processing Industries of the Government of India is the agency that creates standards for FPO and grants the mark.

Necessity of FPO

The objective of the FPO is to regulate the fruits processing industry in India. The FPO's goal is to regulate sanitary and hygienic conditions in the production of fruit products. It has been introduced to check that food product is manufactured hygienically, and specific quality standards are maintained efficiently.