 |
| This picture is just for representational purposes |
Tall claims and misleading words have always
been the jargon with packaged foods. This will not be allowed under the new
rules with even the salt, sugar and transfat content prominently mentioned. Yes, packaged food will soon have to sport labels with
detailed list of ingredients in larger fonts, with the Food Safety and
Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) deciding to make changes in the rules pertaining
to labeling of products. The final draft notification would soon be made
public, said Dr B Sesikeran, chairman, scientific panel on labelling and claims
at FSSAI.
Manufacturers make a lot of claims on
the benefits of their products. They will be allowed to publish the claims on
the labeling only after results of authentic scientific research are shown to
the FSSAI. Only if the results are found to be acceptable will the claim be
allowed to be printed, as per guidelines of the FSSAI.
Though guidelines are already present to
define labeling processes, the change was made necessary due to newer
ingredients being added to products and the international regulations. Though
the FSSAI held interactions with the industry on the proposed changes, it is of
the view that the guidelines should be more 'consumer friendly'. The final
draft is expected to come out in a month or so.
