Hyderabad: As the Supreme Court’s two-week deadline for the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on proposed front-of-pack nutrition labelling (FOPNL) ends, with the next hearing reportedly scheduled for Thursday, the city-based National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) has sent its suggestions to the apex food regulator.FOPNLs are symbols or labels placed on the front of food packages to quickly inform consumers when a product is high in nutrients such as sugar, salt or fat.Following the apex court’s reprimand in Aug, the FSSAI has proposed a red, six-sided (hexagon) symbol on the front of food packets, similar to a small ‘stop’ sign. If a product has too much of certain unhealthy nutrients, the pack would show clear words such as “high fat”, “high sugar” or “high salt” inside the red shape based on NIN’s dietary guidelines limits.Contrary to the FSSAI proposed red-colored hexagonal warning labels, NIN has highlighted that the former should not look only at added sugar and added fat while deciding whether a packaged food needs a warning label, but should also consider the food’s total calories, total sugar and total fat. Otherwise, some unhealthy foods may not get a warning, it added.“For example, a packet of salty fried chips may have very little added sugar. Its added fat may also remain below the proposed limit. But it can still be high in calories because it contains a lot of fat. Under a rule that checks only added sugar and added fat, such a product may escape the red warning label even though eating it often is unhealthy,” said a scientist from NIN.The scientist added that similarly, a traditionally prepared samosa or jalebi may be high in fat or sugar without being ultra-processed food (UPF), while some products like whole-grain breakfast cereals may be UPF but relatively low in fat, salt and sugar.With studies showing that obesity, diabetes and other lifestyle diseases are rising in India as people eat more UPFs, experts believe that quick, easy-to-read labels can help consumers choose healthier options. Earlier, the NIN had recommended three front-of-pack nutrition label models: warning labels (WL), nutri-score (NS) and health star rating (HSR) for effective implementation.
