The need for faster implementation of regulations related to front-of-pack labelling (FoPL) was stressed during an online discussion organised by the Citizen consumer and civic Action Group (CAG) in association with Women’s Christian College on Friday.
S. Saroja, executive director of CAG, said while the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) was working on FoPL for a few years now, there was a need to expedite the process owing to the increasing prevalence of non-communicable diseases.
She said the present labelling of nutritional content of a product was neither prominent nor easily comprehensible to common people. Citing the example of using green and yellow to mark vegetarian and non-vegetarian food, Ms. Saroja said a similar simpler system was needed to show whether a product had high sugar, salt and fat content.
Pradeep Agarwal, Associate Professor, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh, said change in dietary habits was a major reason for NCD. “We are increasingly taking processed foods that are often high on salt, sugar and or fat and majorly contribute to NCDs. In countries such as Canada, Chile, Israel, and Uruguay, FoPL on food products proved to be successful in reducing intake of sodium and sugar,” he said.
A.J. Hemamalini, professor and head, Department of Clinical Nutrition, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research (DU), said priority should be given to a science-based nutrition profile model, leading the way to a simple warning label.
Ms. Saroja said that while there was some opposition from the industry earlier, FSSAI was making progress towards bringing in the regulations.
