India’s Standards Authority to Finalize On-Pack Traffic Light Labelling Regulations

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) plans to finalize its food labelling and display regulations for packaged food products including proposed traffic light labelling for high fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) foods within the next two to three months, the FoodNavigator-Asia.com reported on May 28.  However, FSSAI CEO Pawan Kumar Agarwal said the Authority is still open to making changes to the draft that was published in early April.  
Significantly, the new regulations would make it mandatory for HFSS foods to have a red warning for consumers on the front of pack.  The draft regulations also state that packaged food manufacturers and firms are required to declare nutritional information such as calories (energy), total fat, trans-fat, total sugar and salt per serve, as well as per serve percentage contribution to the recommended dietary allowance (RDA).  A green triangle or brown circle would further indicate whether it is vegetarian or non-vegetarian food.  
    Agarwal acknowledged that some food businesses have raised concerns about the “thresholds” and red labels for HFSS foods.  He said the Authority has been studying the different traffic light labelling models used in other coutries such as Australia, New Zealand, Mexico and the U.S. and will continue to seek comments and views from stakeholders before the regulations are finalized.  Such a labelling measure introduced to Western Australian schools has been shown to have a positive impact, especially in the food on offer.