Indian food safety watchdog revamps food pack labels to highlight fat and sugar content

15 Jul 2024 --- Food packaging labels in India will soon require the display of the total salt, sugar and saturated fat content to be in bold letters with a larger font size, following the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India’s (FSSAI) recent approval of the proposed change. 

The move supersedes the regulator’s previous plans to introduce front-of-package labeling for ultra-processed packaged foods that offer basic nutrition and quality information on packages upfront.

The FSSAI has approved “a proposal to display nutritional information regarding total sugar, salt and saturated fat in bold letters and relatively increased font size on labels of packaged food items,” it said in an official statement.

“The amendment aims to empower consumers to better understand the nutritional value of the product they are consuming and make healthier decisions.”

The regulator will issue a draft notification on this amendment and seek comments from stakeholders.

The decision to approve the revamp in the Food Safety and Standards (Labeling and Display) Regulations, 2020, regarding nutritional information labeling was taken in the recent 44th meeting of the food authority.

Promoting better health
According to India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the amendment will bolster efforts at addressing the rise of non-communicable diseases (NCD) and promote public health and well-being.

The label changes aim to encourage transparency for consumers to help them make healthier food choices while shopping.“The prioritization of the development of clear and distinguish labeling requirements would help in the global effort to combat NCDs,” says the FSSAI.

Additionally, regulation 2 (v) and 5 (3) of FSS (Labeling and Display) Regulation, 2020 specifies requirements to mention serving size and nutritional information on the food product label, respectively.

The per serve percentage contribution to Recommended Dietary Allowances must be mentioned in bold letters for total sugar, total saturated fat and sodium content.

Combating misleading claims
FSSAI’s recent move also underscores its focus on preventing false and misleading claims on product labels.

In March, the food safety watchdog sent advisories to e-commerce websites to remove the term ‘Health Drink’ as it is not defined or standardized anywhere under the FSS Act 2006 or regulations made thereunder. The action advocated clarity and transparency regarding the nature and functional properties of the products.

FSSAI also mandated that all Food Business Operators (FBOs) remove any claim of ‘100% fruit juices’ from the labels and advertisements of reconstituted fruit juices last month.

Other products have also fallen under FSSAI’s purview, such as the use of the term “wheat flour/ refined wheat flour,” the advertisement and marketing of Oral Rehydration Salts along with a prefix or suffix, and the nutrient function claim for multi-source edible vegetable oils. 

These advisories and directives aim to reduce cases of misleading claims by FBOs so consumers can make informed choices while shopping.

By Insha Naureen