June 17, 2021
The information of the food packets justifies what lies inside. One of the key policy tools to regulate such products to prevent them from unbalancing diets is the use of front-of-package labeling (FOPL) to indicate to consumers which products contain excessive amounts of sugars, total fats, saturated fats, trans-fats, and sodium.
There is a lot of misconceptions related to the FOPL whereby FSSAI is giving time recession and a precautionary note regarding the FOPL. With lots of rumours circulating in the food industry, an advisory has been released by FSSAI to stop speculations. In lieu of the same, FSSAI clears the air, and below are its clarifications.
“This is to clarify that the provisions for FOPL particularly the thresholds level are still under consideration of Working Group. It is also to clarify that the FOPL will not come into force from November 2021 as being portrayed in media. Recommendations of Working Group once finalized, would be referred to scientific Committee for endorsement and food authority for approval as per the due procedure. Thereafter, once approved by Food Authority, the regulation regarding Front of Pack Labelling (FOPL) would be notified as a draft amendment to FSS (Labelling & display) regulations for inviting comments/suggestions from the stakeholders. “
In this context, any news/ reports appearing in media are speculative in nature and shouldn’t be considered.