FSSAI is making it mandatory for the food packets to have label on the front of food packets detailing the amount of salt, sugar and fat content and their health impact, but consensus evades industry and consumer groups about what the labels should say.
On the other hand, the food industry wants the label to be a guideline informing the consumer about the quantity of salt, sugar, sodium and fats in the packet without giving a health warning, saying that the target should be to allow consumers to make an informed decision and not discourage consumption of packaged food. The industry said the food safety labelling on salt, sugar and fat should be based on serving size basis rather than quantity in the packet as this is what the consumer eats.
While the consumer and advocacy groups want labels to clearly state whether the food is healthy or not, as most customers would not know how much sugar, salt or fat is good or bad for their health if only the quantity is specified.
Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) chief executive Arun Singhal said, “We will get a people perception study done by the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, on what sort of label would people prefer,” on the differing views. Once that study comes, draft guidelines and then final ones on the “front of package label” (FOPL) would be issued, he said.
The FSSAI has taken close to eight years to reach this stage as the food industry had been reluctant to have these labels as some other countries such as Brazil and Chile have. In those countries, the label clearly states whether consuming the product would be healthy for people or not. In India, the processed food industry is estimated to be worth $44 billion and growing at a rapid pace of about 24 per cent every year.
The consumer groups proposed that the label should inform consumers what percentage of food is salt, sugar and fat, and how much higher it is than the permissible limit. And, they said, this should be done by having a reference size of 100g/ml.
The FSSAI acknowledged the consumer group view saying there is no information available at present on serving sizes. The acceptability and understanding of 100g/ml as a unit is higher and it enables a rational comparison among products,” the minutes said, quoting the FSSAI.
For FSSAI this is no less than an “achievement” to get the food industry to agree to safety labels on the front of packages, which would be easily readable to consumers.