FSSAI proposes nutritional tables instead of warning labels on food packs

FSSAI
has
suggested
a
tabula
decla atio
of
the
ecomme ded
daily
equi eme t
of
added
suga ,
satu ated
fats
a d
salt.
(Photo:
IANS)

Citi g
i dust y’s
oppositio
to
wa i g
labels
o
food
packets,
the

Food
Safety
a d
Sta da ds
Autho ity
of
I dia
(FSSAI)
has
suggested
a
tabula
decla atio
of
the
ecomme ded
daily
equi eme t
of
added
suga ,
satu ated
fats
a d
salt.The
FSSAI’s
affidavit
filed
i
the
Sup eme
Cou t
o ly
me tio s
the
food
i dust y’s
oppositio
but
has
ig o ed
the
evide ce
i
favou
of
wa i g
label
to
help
discou age
co sumptio
of
foods
high
i
added
satu ated
fats,
suga
a d
salt
submitted
by
civil
society
ep ese tatives.FSSAI’s
‘complia ce’
affidavit
i
espo se
to
the
Sup eme
Cou t
o de
di ecti g
it
to
f ame
F o t
of
Pack
labelli g
egulatio
states
that
a
“majo ity
of
i dust y
o ga izatio s
we e
agai st
the
i clusio
of
‘wa i g
labels’
o
the
p oduct,”
a d
goes
o
to
suggest
a
ut itio
table
givi g
“the
daily
allowa ce
fo
added
suga ,
added
satu ated
fat
a d
salt
vis
a
vis
thei
p ese ce
i
pe
se ve
of
packed
food
p oduct”
o
the
f o t
of
the
pack.“The
p oposed
ume ical
table
fo mat
bei g
suggested
by
FSSAI
would
fo ce
co sume s
to
do
math
at
the
supe ma ket
shelf.
The
FSSAI
has
called
it
a
‘complia ce’
affidavit
but
i
eality,
it
is
defia ce.
The
Sup eme
Cou t
had
explicitly
said
that
the
exe cise
so
fa
had
ot
yielded
a y
positive
o
good
esult
a d
it
had
give
FSSAI
fou
weeks
to
eve t.
A d
six
mo ths
late ,
FSSAI
has
filed
a
affidavit
that
aba do s
wa i g
labels
altogethe
a d
avoids
defi i g
HFSS
(high
fat,
salt
a d
suga )
foods.

Clea ly,
FSSAI
has
bowed
to
food
i dust y’s
i te ests,”
said
D
A u
Gupta
of
Nut itio
Advocacy
i
Public
I te est
(NAPi).FSSAI
stated
i
the
affidavit
that
it
had
held
a
stakeholde
co sultatio
o
Ma ch
19,
2026
i volvi g
co sume
g oups,
food
i dust y
ep ese tatives
a d
fa me
o ga isatio s.
It
stated
that
i dust y
bodies
a gued
that
“co sume s
should
be
able
to
make
a
i fo med
decisio
without
c eati g
fea
amo gst
the
co sume s”.
The
affidavit
was
sile t
o
the
i put
give
by
co sume
o ga isatio s,
which
had
sought
wa i g
labels
that
have
bee
show
to
be
the
most
effective
i
educi g
co sumptio
of
ju k
food
high
i
salt,
suga
a d
satu ated
fats
i
seve al
cou t ies.
NAPi
had
also
give
FSSAI
evide ce
ge e ated
f om
studies
co ducted
i
I dia
a d
othe
cou t ies
showi g
how
effective
wa i g
labels
a e.