FSSAI approves proposal for bolder nutritional information on food packets

The amendment aims to empower consumers to better understand the nutritional value of the product they are consuming and make healthier decisions

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The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on Saturday approved a proposal to display nutritional information regarding total sugar, salt and saturated fat in bold letters and relatively increased font size on labels of packaged food items. 

The decision to approve the amendment in the Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020 regarding nutritional information labelling was taken at the 44th meeting of the Food Authority. 

The amendment aims to empower consumers to better understand the nutritional value of a product they are consuming and make healthier decisions.

The draft notification for the amendment will now be put in the public domain for suggestions and objections.

With the amendment, packaged food companies will be required to give in bold letters information regarding per serve percentage (%) contribution to recommended dietary allowances (RDAs) for total sugar, total saturated fat and sodium content. 

Regulation 2 (v) and 5(3) of FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulation, 2020 specifies requirements to mention serving size and nutritional information on the food product label, respectively.

“Along with empowering consumers to make healthier choices, the amendment will also contribute towards efforts to combat the rise of non-communicable diseases and promote public health and well-being,” said a statement from the food regulator. 

Senior officials from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Ministry of Law and Justice, Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises; states and Union Territories attended the meeting held under the chairmanship of Shri Apurva Chandra, chairperson, FSSAI.

Representatives from industry associations, consumer organisations, research institutes and farmer organisations were also present at the meeting.