IIM-A presently conducting a consumer-based survey on FOPL
A recent update on the Front-of-Package Labelling (FoPL) scenario was shared by Arun Singhal, Chief Executive Officer, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) during the inaugural session of the India Food & Nutrition Innovation Summit 2021″ (IFNIS 2021) being virtually held from 27th – 28th October 2021.
He informed that the regulatory body will keep the focus primarily on controlling the levels of sodium, total sugar and saturated fats through FOPL. He also informed that the format or pictorial representation of the FOPL regulation is yet to be finalized.
He further mentioned that a consumer survey is presently being conducted in coordination with the Indian Institute of Management- Ahmedabad (IIM-A), to get a direct feedback from around 20,000 consumers on the labeling aspect. The results of this survey is likely to be out towards the end of January 2022. The FSSAI officials will thereafter hold a final discussion on the same.
“Alongside, the scientific panel is looking at their minimum number of categories, starting from foods and beverages, and to see if they need to include additional categories such as dairy. Accordingly, they will list down the thresholds to be assigned to these categories”, Singhal added.
FICCI in collaboration with Thinking Forks Consulting, and in association with NuFFooDS Spectrum, is organising IFNIS 2021with the objective of showcasing New Age Disruptive Food Products, Technologies and Scientific Advances in Food & Nutrition Ecosystem fostering towards a Healthier India. The Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) is the government partner for this event.