The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is pushing its FOPL rules and is currently in discussions with various companies to include a “cautionary warning” on the amount of added salt, sugar, and fat present in packaged foods, as part of its proposed star rating system. This is intended to help consumers make more informed choices when selecting food products.
FSSAI is working on creating rules for front-of-pack nutrition labelling (FOPL) of packaged foods and has drafted guidelines that include the star rating system, among other measures. The draft regulation proposes a star rating system of one to five, based on the amount of salt, sugar, and fat in each food item.
However, the proposal has faced opposition from packaged food manufacturers who argue that it will negatively impact their business. To determine the most effective form of labelling, the FSSAI has considered various options, such as traffic light signs, nutrition scores, health star ratings, and warning symbols.
To help make a decision, FSSAI has reached out to the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad for partnering and to conduct a study on the impact of front-of-labelling for packaged foods on consumers. Based on the recommendations from IIM-Ahmedabad, FSSAI chose to implement the star rating system.
Australia and New Zealand have already adopted a similar system. The FOPL regulation for food packaging has been a subject of debate for several years, with processed and packaged foods companies expressing reluctance and health activists advocating for stricter regulations.
Multiple discussions with stakeholders have been held, but there has been no final decision reached as of yet. This is the first time an external entity has been involved in the labelling guidelines.