The FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India)’s proposal to mandate a prominent display of content labels on food packets can help improve consumer awareness regarding unhealthy packaged food. The regulator has told the Supreme Court of India that warning labels, in a red hexagonal format, would notify consumers about high sugar, high salt, high fat, etc., and use descriptions such as “highly sweetened beverage”. Though packaged food items currently carry information about their contents, it is typically lost in small print at the back of the packets. Most consumers do not read this information, and many who do are not fully aware of the outcomes of consuming food high in sugar or salt. A prominent label with a clear indication would help consumers decide whether they should buy the product or not.
The Front of Pack Nutrition Labelling (FOPNL) exercise, proposed for stage-wise implementation, will commence with warnings when the product in question exceeds the prescribed limits for two or more components: added saturated fat, added sugar, etc. However, experts have flagged concerns over the approach, pointing out that it could allow many products to escape scrutiny. They have demanded clear and separate markers for every specified nutrient of concern. These warnings should be prominently labelled, ensuring that the intended message gets adequate consumer visibility. The FSSAI should follow this statement of intent with targeted, time-bound implementation of the process. It is to be noted that the regulator made these proposals after raps from the apex court over its failure in issuing the warning labels. Earlier this year, the Court had told the FSSAI that it should not be concerned about the interests of multinational companies, but about the citizens’ right to health.
Calls for front-of-pack warnings have been repeatedly met with inaction of the authority. Its record invites credible apprehensions about the implementation of FOPNL. The packaged food industry has long opposed any form of warnings, but public health must be prioritised above industry interests. India is the global diabetes capital, and faces rising threats from hypertension, obesity, and high cholesterol – all ailments linked to unhealthy diets. Implementing a clear front-of-pack warning scheme has become increasingly crucial in addressing this crisis. The onus is on the government to complement the labelling exercise with awareness programmes, educating the public on the indicators and ways to interpret them. Global evidence of such warnings encouraging consumers to adopt healthier eating habits should form the pivot for the larger campaign. (Source: DH)
