FSSAI mandates salt, sugar, and fat labelling on packages in bold, bigger font

In an official statement, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) announced it has approved "a proposal to display nutritional information regarding total sugar, salt and saturated fat in bold letters and relatively increased font size on labels of packaged food items."

The amendment to the Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020, regarding nutritional information labeling was approved during the 44th meeting of the Food Authority, chaired by Apurva Chandra, Chairperson, FSSAI. The statutory body shared the latest amendment announcement on its official Instagram handle.

"The amendment aims to empower consumers to better understand the nutritional value of the product they are consuming and make healthier decisions. It would also contribute towards efforts to combat the rise of Non-Communicable Diseases and promote public health and well-being," it said.

The draft notification for the said amendment would now be put in the public domain for inviting suggestions and objections.

In September 2022, the FSSAI proposed the Indian Nutritional Rating (INR) system as the Front of Package Labelling (FoPL) system for packaged foods. The INR system is similar to the Health Star rating systems used in Australia and New Zealand. It rates a food's overall nutritional profile on a scale of 1⁄2 star (least healthy) to 5 stars (most beneficial), with more stars indicating a healthier product.

Previously in June this year, FSSAI directed all Food Business Operators (FBOs) to remove claims of '100% fruit juices' on their products; if added nutritive sweeteners exceed 15 gm/kg, the product should be labelled 'sweetened juice'.