The amendment aims to empower consumers to understand better the nutritional value of the product they are consuming and make healthier decisions
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has 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 in the 44th meeting of the Food Authority, held under the chairmanship of Apurva Chandra, Chairperson, FSSAI. The amendment aims to empower consumers to better understand the nutritional value of the product and make healthier decisions.
The draft notification for the said amendment would now be put in the public domain for inviting suggestions and objections.
The per-serve percentage (%) contribution to Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) will be given in bold letters for total sugar, total saturated fat and sodium content. Regulation 2 (v) and 5(3) of FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulation, 2020 specify requirements to mention serving size and nutritional information on the food product label, respectively.
Along with empowering consumers to make healthier choices, the amendment would also contribute towards efforts to combat the rise of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) and promote public health and well-being. The prioritisation of the development of clear and distinguished labelling requirements would help in the global effort to combat NCDs.