Bolder food labelling is good for health
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India’s move to ensure better display of ingredients on food packaging is welcome, and will serve customer rights and public health imperatives. The food regulator has approved an amendment to the Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020, for this. It mandates display of information regarding salt, total sugar and saturated fat in a bold and relatively big font on the package. Ingredient information in some form is even now available on packaged food but the fine print is usually too small to read and difficult to understand. The FSSAI’s move is intended to help consumers make informed decisions. The regulator is planning to place the proposal in the public domain for comments and suggestions.
Consumption of packaged food is increasing in the country because of urbanisation, lifestyle and cultural changes, and peer pressure. So regulation and monitoring of nutritional content in packaged food is important for public health. It is also a fact that children and young people are more attracted to packaged food than others. Surveys have indicated that obesity and other indicators of poor health are increasing. Packaged foods usually contain a lot of preservatives which may not be good for health. Avoidance and minimising of harmful ingredients in food will contribute to better health and help the fight against non-communicable diseases. It is also the consumer’s right to know what she eats, and the producer of the food has the responsibility to provide the information. Such information should be provided not only on food packages but also in their advertisements.
The FSSAI is said to be considering a front-of-pack nutrition-labelling (FOPNL) system and star rating to indicate the nutritional value of a food item. Experts think that the implementation of the plan would prompt companies to reformulate their products to lower the amount of sugar, salt and fat. Consumers will also become more aware of their harmful impact. There is also a demand that the new system should have labels with specific warnings about content. The FSSAI should make public their permissible levels and ensure that the guidelines are followed by companies. The FSSAI has said it has from time to time issued advisories to prevent false and misleading claims like ‘health drinks’ and ‘100% fruit juice,’ but it has failed on many occasions to ensure that the food consumed in the country or exported to other countries is edible and healthy. The latest proposal on labelling will have a positive impact if it is implemented effectively.