The processed food industry is planning to reapply to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) after the regulator approved a proposal to make it mandatory to label nutrition information (total sugar, salt and saturated fat) in bold and larger font size.
As announced at a press conference on Saturday, the draft notification of the proposed amendments will be made available to the public for suggestions and objections.
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“The industry will be holding another consultation along with FSSAI. There are many angles to consider, which will not be easy given India’s complex dietary situation,” explained a senior executive at a major packaged food company. Another executive said the industry response would be coordinated through collective representation rather than individual companies approaching the regulator. “We will follow the new norms once they are finalised. For now, FSSAI has sought comments on the new proposals,” the executive said.
In September 2022, after extensive stakeholder discussions, the FSSAI proposed the India Nutrition Rating, a star rating system for assessing and rating the overall nutritional profile of packaged foods, which would be assigned a rating ranging from half a star to five stars.
But the shift to larger, more visible nutrition labels could have cost implications for companies: “If this happens, it could mean losing money because new packaging will be needed. Companies typically have packaging inventory for the next few months,” said one executive.
“It will take a long time before it comes into effect as public comments are yet to be received and a final decision has not been taken,” he said, pointing out that the company’s products are usually consumed by the lower-income sections of society and despite the new labelling, people will continue to consume packaged foods such as chips and biscuits as they need energy.
“Information regarding the percentage of the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) per serving for total sugars, total saturated fat and sodium content will be displayed in bold type,” a release from the Press Information Bureau on Saturday said. The proposed amendments are aimed at helping consumers better understand the nutritional value of the products they consume and encouraging healthier choices. “The proposed amendments will also contribute to efforts to combat the rise in Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) and promote public health and well-being. Prioritizing the development of clear and distinguishable labelling requirements will aid in global efforts to combat NCDs,” the memo detailed.
Recently, the FSSAI has recommended that the non-standardised term “health drink” be removed from e-commerce websites and directed food businesses to remove the “100 percent fruit juice” claim from labels and advertisements for reconstituted fruit juices.
Farmly’s 2024 Healthy Snacks Report found that 73% of 6,000 respondents across all age groups scrutinize the ingredient lists and nutritional value of the products they buy.
Public health experts support the move but stress the importance of front-of-pack nutrition labelling (FOPNL). “Sugar, salt and fat are the most harmful ingredients in packaged foods with serious health implications. Highlighting these on the packaging will help people make smarter consumption choices,” says Akshita Gupta, a Delhi-based nutritionist and CEO of GLLO Life.
Instagram influencer Levant Himatsinka, known on social media as Food Pharmer, described the move as a small step in the right direction. “Companies are putting this information in a very small font size, which makes it difficult to read. In the long run, this information needs to be on the front of the label,” he told Business Standard on the sidelines of a summit on healthy snacks.
However, Arun Gupta, paediatrician and chairman of Nutrition Advocates in Public Interest (NAPi), criticised the move as a “sham”. “The information will be included in the ‘nutrition facts’ on the back of the pack, under the ‘% of RDA’ section of the nutrition label, which not many people understand or know how to read. This measure is in no way comparable to or should not replace the much-needed measures on FOPNL that will go a long way in reducing consumption of HFSS foods and easing the burden of non-communicable diseases among the Indian population,” Gupta said, adding that a meaningful policy on FOPNL and a ban on misleading advertisements are needed to combat obesity and diabetes.
In its latest report titled “50 Shades of Food Advertising”, NAPi called for government regulation on advertising of HFSS (high fat, sugar and salt) foods and adoption of the definition of ultra-processed foods as recommended in the latest ICMR (National Institute of Nutrition) guidelines.
