The FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) has approved changes to the nutritional information on packaged food items. These changes require the total amounts of salt, sugar, and saturated fat to be displayed as bold labelling in letters and larger font sizes.
FSSAI Key Changes
The FSSAI will issue a draft notification and seek comments from the public and stakeholders. In a statement, FSSAI said it has approved a proposal to display nutritional information about total sugar, salt, and saturated fat in bold labelling and increased font size on food labels. This decision was made during the 44th meeting of the Food Authority, chaired by Shri Apurva Chandra.
Purpose of FSSAI Amendment
The amendment aims to help consumers understand the nutritional value of the products they buy and make healthier choices. The draft notification will be shared publicly for suggestions and objections.
The new labels will show the percentage (%) contribution of each nutrient to the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) in bold letters. This includes total sugar, saturated fat, and sodium content. Regulation 2(v) and 5(3) of the FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulation, 2020, outline the requirements for serving size and nutritional information on food labels.
Health Benefits
By providing clearer nutritional information, the amendment aims to combat the rise of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) and promote public health. Clear labelling is a global effort to fight NCDs.
Preventing Misleading Claims
FSSAI has been actively issuing advisories to prevent false and misleading claims on food products. These include:
- Advising e-commerce websites to remove the term ‘Health Drink’ from products, as it is not defined under FSS Act 2006.
- Mandating Food Business Operators (FBOs) to remove claims of ‘100% fruit juices’ from labels and advertisements of reconstituted fruit juices.
- Regulating the use of terms like wheat flour/refined wheat flour.
- Monitoring the advertisement and marketing of ORS with any prefix or suffix.
- Ensuring accurate nutrient function claims for multi-source edible vegetable oils.
FSSAI bold labelling efforts aim to ensure that consumers are not misled by false claims and can make informed choices about the foods they consume.
