Front-of-the-Pack Labelling : Daily Current Affairs

Date: 22/09/2022

Relevance: GS-2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

Key Phrases: FSSAI, Draft regulations, Front-of-the-pack labelling, Packaged food, Health Star Rating(HSR), MoHFW, Centre for Science and Environment, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, Non- Communicable Diseases.

Why in News?

FSSAI releases draft regulations for front-of-the-pack labelling for packaged food industry.

Context:

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on Tuesday released draft regulations for the front-of-the-pack nutritional labelling (FOPNL) for packaged food companies, which has been the subject of intense discussions among stakeholders.
The food safety regulator has been in discussions to bring the labelling rule for the past few years.
It recently decided to go for five star ratings system to inform consumers regarding the nutritional profile of the product based on the recommendations that emerged after an IIM-Ahmedabad study.
Once finalised, these ratings will be displayed on the front labels of the packed food products in close proximity to the brand names.

FSSAI draft regulations:

As per draft regulations, higher number of stars will indicate that the food products are better positioned to provide for the daily nutrient needs of consumers.
The regulator has now sought views of stakeholders and added that compliance with the regulations, once notified, will be voluntary in nature for four years.
The draft regulations for the first time define products that will be considered High Fat Sugar and Salt (HFSS) food products in the country. HFSS food means a processed food product which has high levels of saturated fat or total sugar or sodium.
The draft regulation amendments have proposed the mathematical formula on which star ratings will be calculated and also in the manner in which they will need to be displayed on the front labels of the products.
Based on baseline reference values and positive nutrient percentages, food products will obtain Indian Nutrition Rating (INR) scores which will determine the number of stars a product food will be able to display.
The regulator has also specified list of products that will remain out of the ambit of the labelling regulations. These include, fresh meat, poultry, eggs , herbs, spices, masalas, honey, natural mineral water, buttermilk, infant formula and single-ingredient products such as table-top salt, white sugar, vinegar and mustard.

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI):

It is a statutory body established under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (FSS Act).
FSSAI is an autonomous body. The administrative ministry for FSSAI is the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.
FSSAI is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the regulation and supervision of food safety.
Functions:
- Granting FSSAI food safety license and certification for food businesses.
- Creating an information network across the country about food safety.
- Promote general awareness about food safety and food standards.
- Framing of regulations to lay down the standards and guidelines of food safety.
- Laying down procedures and guidelines for laboratories in food businesses.
- To provide suggestions to the government in framing the policies.

What are Health Star Ratings?

The Health Star Rating system is a front-of-pack labelling system which helps consumers to quickly and easily compare the nutrition of similar products.
The system provides a rating from a half to five stars – the more stars, the healthier choice.
But the stars are meant to provide a comparison within similar product categories only. For example, the system helps choose between one breakfast cereal and another, not between yoghurt and pasta sauce.

Front-of-Pack (FoP) Labelling System

FOPL refers to nutrition labelling systems that are presented on the front of food packages to support consumers to make healthier food choices at the point of purchase by delivering simplified and at-a-glance nutritional information
FoP labelling system has long been listed as one of the global best practices to nudge consumers into healthy food choices.
In India, FoP labelling on packaged foods was recommended in 2014 by an expert committee constituted by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). However, the country has not moved ahead on it towards bringing in a law.
In 2019, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) brought the spotlight on this concern by highlighting the fact that most of such junk foods would be labelled `red' as per the draft FSSAI law.
Over the last year, the apex food regulator has been brainstorming with experts to launch FoPL in India.
At present, countries such as the UK, Chile, Mexico, New Zealand, and Australia have FoPL.

Why FOPL Systems are important?

Nutrition labelling can help rebalance unhealthy food environments.
It helps consumers make healthier food choices by delivering simplified and at-a-glance nutritional information.
An evidence-based FOPL system can also be used to inform other food environment policies such as restrictions on marketing to children, school food policies and even taxes.
An Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM-A) study endorsed that the HSR format is the best suited to Indians in helping to choose healthier packaged food items.
FoPL will bring a transformational reform in the society as it will encourage healthy eating. It will also help to reduce the burden of Non- Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in the country.

Way Forward:

An easy to-understand labelling on the front of a packaged food is considered an important tool to warn consumers. Many countries now have laws which tell food companies how to display information about the ingredients in their product whether it contains high fat, salt, and/or sugar.
Although displaying nutrition information is already mandatory in India, a study showed that Indians seldom use this information for making food choices as limited general and the text-intensive nutrient information is difficult to understand.
However, this study also shows that symbols on food labels (eg, vegetarian and non-vegetarian symbols) have better uptake and recall value.
Therefore, it might be beneficial for front-of-pack labelling in India to be symbol based, with food images, logos, and health benefits. To be effective, front-of-pack symbols must be a part of the principal display panel and should have appropriate symbol-to-text ratio specifications.
Mandatory front of pack labelling must be preceded by strong research and in a format that is understandable and acceptable to all.