Pristine Organics only Indian company selected by FSSAI to address ‘Inborn Errors of Metabolism’ issue

Bengaluru: Pristine Organics, a 25 years old Bangalore-based food technology and nutraceutical company, has announced that it is the only Indian company selected by India’s Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to address Inborn Errors of Metabolism (IEM) issue.

FSSAI has begun to recognize genetic conditions such as IEM as an issue and has set up a new initiative – Diet4Life – to address this issue. The platform addresses various issues such as diet, healthcare, and support groups to adopt the right approach towards IEM management.

The chosen five companies to address the issue are Abbott Nutrition, Mead Johnson Nutrition, Nestle and Danone (Nutricia), of which Pristine is the only Indian company, to address Inborn Errors of Metabolism (IEM) issue.

Inborn Errors of Metabolism is a rare genetic (inherited or congenital) disorder, in which the human body cannot properly turn the food into energy for the body consumption. This type of a disorder is usually caused by defects in specific proteins or enzymes that help break down or metabolize the parts of food. Children are affected by this are unable to survive beyond the age of 1 due to complications caused by protein build-up in the body.

In India, the diagnosis is extremely limited because of lack of awareness amongst the people. IEM cases in India often go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed. Children with IEM Disorders tend to reflect different symptoms and signs based on the type of enzymes that is lacking in their metabolism. Typically, 1 in 2497 new-born suffers from this condition, and often don’t survive due to misdiagnosis and lack of awareness about the condition.

A special IEM Diet is required for these children to be able to process the food, and get the required nutrition for growth at the same time. IEM Diets can be formulated for specific condition. As IEM diets helps in management of the condition and increases the lifespan of the child, recent technological advancements such as enzyme replacement, gene therapy, and organ transplantation have opened doors for treatment of IEM.

Speaking on this, Mr K C Raghu, Founder and MD at Pristine Organics, said “We have children from AIIMS, Delhi, Rainbow hospital, Hyderabad, and hospitals in Bangalore, Chennai using diets for IEM. Their nutrition, growth and development are no longer stunted.”

Pristine Organics cater to 500+ IEM patients. The company can provide the required diet at a fraction of the costs, being an Indian company with its R&D and manufacturing facilities in India. Previously, it was imported from Abbott Nutrition, Mead Johnson Nutrition, Nestle, Danone (Nutricia) and that would cost a lot.

India’s Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has entered into a partnership with professional organizations, healthcare professionals and corporate to address the challenge that plagues our society. The treatment process in the initial years of IEM discovery was the restriction of dietary proteins which resulted in malnourished children with further complications.

The company also sells a variety of certified organic foods products right from baby food, cereals, biscuits, porridge, cold pressed edible oils, flour, nutritional supplements and health mix. The brand also creates personalized monthly supply of Health Basket which is tailored diets as per the specific health condition which consists of exotic combination of diverse organic foods range.