Specific restrictions of food labelling on Product labels and Advertisement : Module 14

Specific restrictions on advertisement

The FSS (Packaging and Labelling) Regulation, 2011 puts specific restrictions on use of particular words, declarations, statements or pictorial representations in certain cases as given below :-

14.1 Labels not to contain reference to Act or rules or regulations contradictory to required particulars:-

No reference of the Act, Rules or Regulations is permitted to be made on the labels.

14.2 Labels not to use words implying recommendations by medical profession: -

The words “recommended by the medical profession” or any words which suggest that the food is recommended, prescribed, or approved by medical practitioners or approved for medical purpose, are not allowed to be mentioned on the labels.

14.3Unauthorized use of words showing imitation prohibited

1. The word ‘imitation’ or any word, or words indicating that the article is a substitute for any food, are not to be mentioned on the label
2. The fruit syrup, fruit juice, fruit squash, fruit beverages, cordial, crush or any other fruit product which does not contain the prescribed amount of fruit juice or fruit pulp or fruit content shall not be described as a fruit syrup, fruit juice, fruit squash, fruit beverages, cordial, crush or any other fruit product as the case may be.
3. The food product which does not contain the specified amount of fruit and is likely to give a false impression to the consumer that the product contains fruit, whether by use of words or fruit picture shall be clearly declared on the label as ‘ADDED(NAME OF THE FRUIT) FLAVOUR’.
4.  Any food product, which contains only fruit flavours, that shall not be described as a fruit product and the word “ADDED” (NAME OF FRUIT) FLAVOUR shall be declared on the label
5. Picture of fruit on the label of non-fruit products like carbonate beverage, synthetic Vinegar Syrups/Sharbats is prohibited.
6.  The fruit and vegetable product, claimed to be fortified with vitamin C shall contain not less than 40 mgms. of ascorbic acid per 100 gm. of the product.

14.4 ” The word “pure” or any word or words of the same significance shall not be included in the label of a package that contains an imitation of any food.

14.5 Labelling prohibitions for Drinking Water (Both Packaged and Mineral Water)

• No claims regarding medicinal effects shall be made 
• The name of the locality, or specified place should not be associated with the trade name unless the packaged water is collected from that particular place.
• The use of any statement or of any pictorial device which may create confusion in the mind of the public or in any way mislead the public about the nature, origin, composition, and properties of such waters put on sale is prohibited.

Restriction on advertisement

Advertisement of any food, which is misleading or contravening the provisions of Food Safety and Standards Act, or the rules / regulations, is prohibited

Unauthorized use of the words or any misinterpretation with an intention to pull the sales of the product will be an offense under the regulations of the FSS act, hence the above has to be strictly be followed to avoid penalties.

32 persons hospitalised following food poisoning

Bakewell Bakery, where food poison at Baba Nagar in Hyderabad on Wednesday. 

About 32 persons were hospitalised, mostly women and children, after consuming snacks purchased reportedly from a bakery at Hafeezbabanagar. The condition of a few is stated to be critical, officials maintained.

Of the 32 persons, five were admitted to Fever Hospital, eight at community health centre – Barkas, another 19 at two private hospitals in old city. 

After the incident, the GHMC officials sealed Bake Well Bakery located at Omer Hotel junction in Hafeezbabanagar. 

Fall sick after having burgers

The affected persons said that they ate chicken burger and pastries three days ago and soon fell sick. 

“I bought chicken burgers on Saturday and after consuming them six of my family members complained of vomiting and diarrhoea. After visiting private clinics we came to Barkas Hospital,” said Qasim, a plumber from Hafeezbabanagar.

Khairunnisa Begum, a housewife from the same locality, said that her son Syed Aleem bought burgers on Sunday and four of her family members fell sick after consuming them. 

Dr. Rajeev, Superintendent, Barkas community health centre, said that seven persons were admitted to the hospital while four were referred to Fever Hospital for treatment. 

A few more left after taking outpatient treatment, he said.

Eatables to be tested

Meanwhile, N. Ravi Kiran, Additional Commissioner (Health & Sanitation), GHMC said: “The eatables collected from the bakery will be sent to State Food Laboratory for bacteriological analysis.” 

He refuted earlier reports of any deaths in the incident. Kanchanbagh police registered a case and have begun investigation.

18 taken ill after eating contaminated burger

Hyderabad, April 2 (INN): As many as 18 persons were taken ill after consumption of a burger at a local bakery in Hafeez Baba Nagar of Barkas.

According to the preliminary report submitted by GHMC Additional Commissioner (Health & Sanitation) N Ravi Kiran, some of the families have purchased Vegetable Burger from Bake Well Bakery at Hafeez Baba Nagar, Barkas on March 29.

On consumption of the Burger, 18 persons developed vomiting and motions and they were rushed to the various hospitals. Of them, nine were admitted in Fever Hospital.

As per hospital records only five patients were admitted on April 1 and they are undergoing treatment. Further, four patients stated that they were also admitted in Fever Hospital due to food poisoning case. The affected people hailed from Barkas, Hafeez Baba Nagar and Ayodhya Colony. 

The GHMC also denied reports about death of one person due to food poisoning. On enquiry with the family members of the expired person it was revealed that the person expired due to fits.

The civic authorties have collected four food samples from the Bake Well Bakery and sent to State Food Laboratory for Bacteriological analysis purpose. The Bakery and kitchen has been closed in presence of Food Safety Designated Officer, South Zone and AMOH, Circle No.4, GHMC in the interest of public health point of view.

Almost 3 out of 4 Indian packaged foods fail to display salt levels: study

The study is part of a larger project which is gathering the evidence to initiate a national salt reduction program in India.

New Delhi: Large numbers of packaged food products available in Indian stores fail to display nutritional data relating to the amount of sodium present thus preventing consumers from making informed food choices, reveals a survey conducted by The George Institute for Global Health India. 

The survey conducted on 7,124 products available for purchase in Indian supermarkets revealed that only 26 per cent of packaged food displayed sodium content on the label, thus non-compliant with the minimum labelling requirements of Codex – the international body governing food labelling. 

“The preliminary findings of the study are a matter of great concern as consumers are eating progressively more processed foods generally containing higher levels of salt. This is not good for people in a country which is already projected to have an even larger NCD burden in the coming future, ’’ says.Dr. Vivekanand Jha Executive Director, The George Institute for Global Health-India. 

The project assumes significance in the light of the fact that the World Action on Salt and Health (WASH) has dedicated World Salt Awareness Week for the year 2014 from March 10 to 16 to the need for better nutrition labelling in countries across the globe and has given the call for “Switch the Salt’’. With people in India likely to consume much more packaged food over the coming years, and with only 26 per cent labelling sodium, there is an urgent need for full and effective food labelling. 

The ongoing project, being run by The George Institute for Global Health in collaboration with the Centre for Chronic Disease Control , will gather information on dietary salt intake levels among a sample of people in North and South India as well as collect nutrient information on packaged and outside food available for purchase. In addition, the investigators will undertake a stakeholder survey with key representatives from the food industry and the central government as well as hold focus groups with consumers. The investigators aim to put together enough evidence to develop a national salt reduction program for India, tailored to the specific needs of the country. 

The implementation of this programme will involve three main elements: working with the food industry to reformulate foods and meals, campaigns to change consumer behaviour and efforts to change the food environment working in settings such as schools, hospitals and the work place. The foods to focus on and population groups to be targeted will be informed by the evidence gathered in this study. 

Welcoming the fact that the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has now put in place regulation defining minimum requirements for the labelling of the nutritional content of packaged foods, Dr. Jha said “Comprehensive nutritional labelling on packaged foods is just one of the steps that needs to be taken in order to make progress towards lowering death and disability caused by high dietary salt intake. Other key areas are community awarenesss as well as building a strong national advisory committee to take the program forward.’’ 

For her part, Claire Johnson, Research Associate, The George Institute for Global Health, says : “The project aims to generate evidence to ensure that steps such as sodium content being displayed on packaged food products becomes legally enforceable and also to provide the evidence required to formulate a national salt reduction programme in collaboration with key stakeholders.,’’ 

Based on the findings of this study, The George Institute for Global Health India argues that the achievement of sodium labelling in India will be an important part of the country’s efforts to address the burgeoning non-communicable disease burden. “The enforcement of sodium regulations will help consumers by providing them with the tools to make better choices. In addition to delivering upon the base requirements of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India and Codex requirements, the Government should also consider the merits of introducing a standard front-of-pack labelling system displaying sodium content,’’ said Dr. Jha.

Now online for , apply food licence or registration

Food business operators will no longer have to visit the civil surgeon's office to apply for registration or licence under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, as now it can be done with just a click of the mouse. 

The health department has launched an online licensing and registration system at www.foodlicensing.fssai.gov.in, where besides placing an application, users can also track the status of the application through an application reference number provided by the system during the submission of application.

The food business operators could also know the status of their application through mobile phone or email as the information would be sent to the registered email address and mobile number.

District health officer (DHO) Dr Abnash Kumar said, "Now the registration and licence process has been made online. It would be convenient for food operators as now they need not rush to civil surgeon's office."

District food safety officer Ravinder Garg said, "The food safety officers were provided training by the head office regarding the online process of registration and licensing. For those who don't have access to computers, like people running rehri-pharis, it has been proposed that they could get themselves registered through suvidha centres of the respective districts."

The licensing and registration process has found very takers in Ludhiana. Despite several deadlines to apply having passed by, only 1,604 food operators applied for licence and 1,05,000 applied for registration.

As per the Food Safety and Standards Act, if the turnover is above `30 crore, the licence is issued by the Central Licensing Authority, and if it is below `30 crore, then the State Licensing Authority issues it.

It's mandatory to get licence if turnover is above `12 lakh, while food operators earning below `12 lakh need to get themselves registered.

Know the act

The Food Safety and Standards Act consolidates various acts and orders that have hitherto handled food-related issues in various departments. Various central acts like Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954; Fruit Product Order, 1955; Meat Food Products Order 1973; Vegetable Oil Products Order 1974; Edible Oils Packaging Order 1988; solvent Extracted Oil, De-Oiled Meal and Edible Flour Order 1967; and Milk and Milk Products Order 1992 were repealed after commencement of the Food Safety and Standards Act.

This act made monitoring easy and the rules and regulations were framed scientifically by one body, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India.

All food service providers, including restaurants, boarding houses, clubs, canteens of schools, colleges, office, institutions, caterers, banquet halls with food catering arrangements, and food vendors like dhabas or any other food business operator falls under the act.