FSSAI's proposed food label system lacks clear messaging: Experts

Labels must have unambiguous information about health value of a food product, they say

The front-of-pack nutrition label (FOPL) proposed by India’s food safety regulator doesn’t give a clear and unambiguous message about products because of its rating-based system, said doctors and experts.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) in September issued draft regulation for FOPL, which is also termed ‘Indian Nutrition Rating’ (INR). The draft was open for public comments until November 19, and FSSAI has again invited fresh comments by doctors, public health experts and consumer rights organisations.

The FOPL draft regulation is based on a ‘star rating’ system, but paediatricians, endocrinologists and cardiologists working with institutes of national importance have said food and beverage packets should have clear warning.

“We are consuming dangerous quantities of packaged foods that are processed with high levels of added sugars, sodium, saturated fats, and refined carbohydrates – all of which are directly linked to a higher risk of diabetes, liver and kidney damage, heart disease, and some cancers,” said Professor Umesh Kapil, president, Epidemiological Foundation of India.

The purpose of front-of-pack labels is to give clear and unambiguous information about the health value of a food product, he said.

According to consumer research and surveys, warning labels have outperformed all other labels in helping consumers make healthy choices. Other labels include Traffic Light System, Nutri-score, Guideline Daily Amount, and Health Star Rating (HSR).

Studies by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), International Institute of Population Sciences (IIPS) and other organisations found that consumers prefer clear warning labels that indicate if products are high in unhealthy ingredients.

FSSAI’s proposed food label gives consumers a star rating, based on both negative and positive nutrients. “This will confuse consumers. The concept that unhealthy food becomes healthy by adding fruits or nuts is flawed. The stars are assigned by a complex scoring system that values positive factors such as added nuts even if the food product has high content of sugar or saturated fat. Even the unhealthiest food product may get two stars and gain a false ‘health halo,” said Kapil.

“Warning labels work best to safeguard public health. It also results in immediate public health benefits. All the more reason why India, which accounts for 25 per cent of the global burden of heart disease, must go for the gold standard,” said Dr Pankaj Bharadwaj, professor of community medicine at AIIMS Jodhpur, and co-author of an observational study conducted in 2022.

INR, a star rating-based system, misrepresents the healthiness of unhealthy products and increases the likelihood of misleading consumers, said Dr Suneela Garg, Immediate-Past President, Indian Association of Preventive and Social Medicine (IAPSM).

Business Standard has reached out to FSSAI for comments and will update this story if the organisation does.