Rating for packaged food welcome

The proposal of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to introduce a star rating system for packaged foods is welcome as it can provide an assurance of the quality of the product to consumers. The Bureau of Energy Efficiency has a rating system for electronic appliances. Food products can very well do with such a system. As proposed now, all packaged foods will display stars on the front of the pack, indicating how healthy it is, depending upon the amount of salt, sugar and fat the food item has. A number of alternative signs were considered, like a colour scheme similar to traffic signals, a nutrition score, and warning signs. Finally, it has been decided that a star rating system would best convey the message about the health implications of a product.

The regulation is being implemented on the basis of a report prepared by the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad. The FSSAI had engaged IIM-A to conduct a study on the impact of front-of-the-pack labelling for packaged and processed foods. Packaged foods currently have back-of-the-pack information about nutrient content in detail. But studies have shown that this is not enough to inform and educate consumers about the quality in terms of the health impact of the content. Many consumers do not read and much less understand the information, often in fine print, written on the packet. So, a clear, easy to understand and reliable guide would be useful, and the front-of-packaging labelling is intended to provide that. Milk and dairy products are being exempted to start with. The FSSAI plans voluntary implementation of the plan by food product-makers from next year and mandatory labelling after a transition period of four years.

Packaged food is an important part of the food industry now and it is growing in size and spread with changes in lifestyle. All packaged foods are not healthy and there are many complaints about them. The consumer needs some guidance about them, especially when lifestyle diseases are on the rise in the country. The FSSAI has said that the system will promote healthy eating habits and reduce the burden of non-communicable diseases. It has claimed that the details of the proposal are in alignment with the labelling models which exist in some countries like the UK and the WHO Population Nutrient Intake Goals Recommendations. The FSSAI is undertaking a challenging task and it should ensure that it is implemented well. There is much ground yet to be covered, because the regulation is yet to be finalised on the basis of feedback from the industry.

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