FSSAI Issues New Labeling Rules

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) approved a significant amendment to the Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020 on 6^th July 2024.  This amendment mandates that nutritional information, specifically concerning total sugar, salt, and saturated fat, be displayed in bold letters and a larger font size on packaged food labels.

Key Points of the Amendment:

1. Enhanced Nutritional Information Display: Nutritional information for total sugar, salt, and saturated fat must be displayed in bold and with increased font size. This aims to help consumers understand the nutritional content better and make informed, healthier choices.
2. Contribution to Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs): Information on the per-serve percentage contribution to RDAs for total sugar, saturated fat, and sodium content will be provided in bold letters.
3. Regulatory Specifications: Regulations 2(v) and 5(3) of the FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulation, 2020 specify the requirements for serving size and nutritional information on food product labels.

Objectives:

1. Empower Consumers: To better understand the nutritional value of the products they consume.
2. Combat Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs): By promoting healthier food choices, this initiative aims to address the rise of NCDs.
3. Promote Public Health and Well-being: Clear and distinguishable labeling supports global efforts to improve public health.
4. Prevention of Misleading Claims: FSSAI issues advisories to e-commerce websites and Food Business Operators (FBOs) to prevent false and misleading claims, such as:
   1. Removing the term ‘Health Drink’ from products where it is not defined or standardized.
   1. Eliminating claims of ‘100% fruit juices’ for reconstituted fruit juices.
   1. Regulating the use of terms like wheat flour/refined wheat flour, and marketing practices around Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS) and multi-source edible vegetable oils.

Public Consultation:

The draft notification for this amendment will be released for public suggestions and objections.