The Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution has issued a draft fourth revision of Bangladesh Standard BDS 490 – Specification for Hard Candy, updating the national requirements for hard candy products produced, imported, and marketed in Bangladesh. The revised standard consolidates hard boiled sugar confectionery and lozenges within a single regulatory framework, replacing the previous BDS 490:2014 (Lozenges) standard.
The revision aims to strengthen safety, quality, and labeling requirements, particularly as hard candies are widely consumed in the country, especially by children. The updated standard introduces several key technical changes, including the incorporation of new types of hard candy, revised ingredient specifications, and updated limits for moisture, acid insoluble ash, and sulphur dioxide.
Under the draft specification, hard candy is defined as a hard, brittle confectionery product made primarily from sugar or sweeteners and their syrups, optionally containing fillings or coatings such as chocolate or sugar. The standard classifies products into hard boiled candy and lozenges, with lozenges described as slow-dissolving confectionery preparations typically produced through cold mixing and compression processes.
The revised ingredient provisions permit a wide range of nutritive and non-nutritive sweeteners, including sugar, sorbitol, glucose syrup, dextrose, fructose, lactose, and other sweeteners permitted under Codex Alimentarius Commission General Standard for Food Additives (CXS 192). Optional ingredients may include milk products, cocoa derivatives, honey, fruit ingredients, edible fats and oils, vitamins and minerals, nuts, spices, and flavoring oils such as eucalyptus or peppermint.
The draft standard establishes specific compositional limits, including maximum moisture content of 4% (or 8% for filled candies), sulphated ash not exceeding 3%, acid-insoluble ash not exceeding 0.4%, maximum sulphur dioxide content of 250 mg/kg, and total sugars up to 85%, except for products formulated with non-nutritive sweeteners.
Microbiological and contaminant limits are also introduced. The standard requires absence of Salmonella and sets maximum limits for heavy metals, including arsenic, lead, and cadmium at 1 mg/kg, and tin at 2 mg/kg.
The draft also strengthens hygienic and legal compliance requirements, requiring production under hygienic conditions consistent with national food processing standards. Detailed packaging and labeling provisions require information such as the product name, manufacturer details, ingredient list, allergen declaration, batch number, manufacturing and expiry dates, net weight, and maximum retail price. Products containing non-nutritive sweeteners must clearly indicate their presence, and products containing aspartame must include a “Not for Phenylketonurics” warning.
The proposed revision is intended to align Bangladesh’s confectionery standards with modern manufacturing practices and international food safety frameworks while ensuring consumer protection and product transparency.
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