New Labeling Regulations
New regulations have been passed through the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to make the nutrition information including total sugar, salt, and saturated fat be mentioned via prominent and big fonts on the packed food products. This decision is made so that people can easily understand the food acquired in terms of nutrition, encouraging more appropriate choices.
End of FoPL Regulations
This new regulation was in place of a previous regulation of the Front of Package Labelling (FoPL) Regulations for ultra-processed foods in India. The FoPL regulations were first instigated to manage the soundness fears relating to ultra-processed food by coming up with simple and understandable information concerning the packaging of the foods. However, the FSSAI has now realized that to bring out certain specific nutritional components of the food, they should be typed in bold and larger fonts on the given labels.
Improved Readability for Consumers
In this new plan, food companies operating in India are bound to declare certain nutritional values, especially total sugar, salt, and saturated fats more prominently. As expressed, this change is meant to enhance the clarity of the labels, thus enabling the consumer to make desired decisions on his or her nutrient intake. As such, the FSSAI seeks to overcome these high trends of obesity and, consequently, other chronic diseases including diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases through essential components as mentioned above.
Transition Period for Compliance
The FSSAI is expected to develop a grace period for the food manufacturers to accord to the new labeling regulations. This period will give the manufacturers the much-deserved time they require to change their packs and guarantee that all packed foods meet the regulations. It has also failed to state the specific months for this change to occur, though consumers can expect the FSSAI to make an official statement soon.
