Jul 6, 2018
In India, it’s time for mandatory front-of-package food labels
According to the Global Burden of Diseases Report 2017, cardio vascular disease kills 1.7 million Indians every year.
Front-of-package label designs, which are clear and impactful, play an important role in increasing awareness and shifting food-eating norms. At present, manufacturers are using varying formats of complicated nutrition labels that are not consumer friendly.
The science is absolutely clear on the fact that excessive consumption of food and beverages high in trans-fat, sodium, sugar and saturated fat is a leading cause of heart disease, stroke and premature death in India and around the world.
More Indians are losing their lives to cardiovascular diseases than ever. According to the Global Burden of Diseases Report 2017, cardio vascular disease kills 1.7 million Indians every year. And yet, eating habits are getting worse day by day, as we consume an increasing amount of processed and packaged foods. Not only have many of these products become less healthy over time, the sheer number of choices in stores have made it difficult and confusing us from selecting healthy food. Adding to the confusion, unhealthy products may feature misleading health and nutrition claims on their packages.
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has brought down the permissible level of trans-fats on oils from 10 per cent to 5 per cent in 2015 and further committed to decreasing the same to 2 per cent by 2022. Even the current permitted trans-fat level of 5 per cent is considered very high despite being reduced from 10 per cent in 2015. Trans-fats are leading cause of cardio vascular diseases (CVD), Alzheimer’s disease, obesity, infertility, cancers, diabetes, etc. The premature mortality (years of life lost because of CVD) in India increased to 37 million in 2010 from 23.2 million in 1990 (by 59 per cent).
Consumers have a right to know what’s in the food we eat and drink, so that we can make healthy choices.
India has an opportunity now to provide such help and in doing so join a growing list of countries that are taking decisive steps to enhance the understanding and use of nutrition information and warning labels on foods containing high amounts of trans-fat and saturated fat, which are commonly used in baked goods, fried foods and fatty snacks.
Globally there is a clear consensus against trans-fats and saturated fats in our diet; just last month, the World Health Organisation (WHO) unveiled tools for countries to eliminate industrially produced trans-fat from the global food supplies by 2023, as the industrially produced edible oil leads to over 10 million premature deaths every year.
FSSAI is in the process of updating rules governing the labelling of packaged foods. The regulator’s current proposal significantly improves what currently exists. For instance, it requires foods high in sodium, sugar and fat to carry front-of-package warning labels.
Research clearly shows that consumers prefer simple labels that are immediately visible and require little time to evaluate. Front-of-package warning labels fit that criterion. They provide consumers with clear guidance to make quick and impactful decisions about the food they eat.
Front-of-package label (FoPL) designs, which are clear and impactful, play an important role in increasing awareness and shifting food-eating norms. At present, manufacturers are using varying formats of complicated nutrition labels that are not consumer friendly.
Mandatory front-of-package warning labels are considered by governments around the globe as an effective and evidence-based way to improve diets. At least 16 FoPL systems are operating in 23 countries, with another 14 schemes proposed. Chile, Israel, Peru and Uruguay have successfully adopted mandatory front-of-package warning labels, which are clear and impactful in shifting food eating norms.
Chile’s approach to warning labels that is currently considered the gold standard among health and nutrition experts. Chile uses octagonal black labels, printed with the words “alto en” (high in), along with key nutritional factors for packaged foods. Preliminary evidence in Chile suggests that the labels have helped to increase consumer knowledge about healthy food choices and led to a significant decline in sugary beverage purchases.
CUTS International, leading consumer advocacy group in India, along with a group of distinguished international health experts and other premier health organisations of India are urging the FSSAI to introduce mandatory front-of-package warning labels on foods and beverages to curb the growing epidemic of heart disease and cardiovascular deaths.
While the move to bring in a regulation on labelling and display is very much appreciated, there are many issues and concerns related to the Draft Food Safety and Standards (Labelling & Display) Regulations 2018, which can be further improved. If done properly, this regulation could have a major, long-term impact both in encouraging industry reformulation and in changing food norms. However, as they currently stand, the draft regulation has major weaknesses and a few strengths.
The strengths are related to the provisions of nutrition facts panel with ingredients, but there is felt need that if possible, saturated fat should be added to the labels, as well as trans-fats, so that all the critical components of fat that impact consumer health most severely are displayed. Second, the cut-offs for sodium and total fat which are very good but it would be ideal if the proposal had created saturated fat instead of total fat cut-offs, but these are well-thought out and fit what other countries have done.
As far as weaknesses are concerned which need to be improved, these are related to serving sizes, guidelines for daily allowance (GDAs), replacing the total fats with saturated fats or do both on the nutrition facts panel, need for rigorous testing of front-of-package design, the colours selected, and the content and approach towards front-of-package warning label.
Done right, Indian food and beverage labels can have a similar effect. And yet, some food producers and manufacturers continue to push for confusing, voluntary labelling schemes that dozens of studies show do not improve our diets.
FSSAI should not take the bait, and instead make India a global leader in strong labelling rules that provide consumers with the information to make healthy food choices.
The writer is director, CUTS International, and a member of Central Advisory Committee of FSSAI
High Court seeks food safety commissioner’s response
KOCHI: The high court has asked the food safety commissioner to respond to a public interest litigation (PIL) alleging laxity in implementing food safety measures. A PIL filed by M S Ajithkumar of Kareepra near Kundara in Kollam is being considered by the court.
Citing the responsibility of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) under Food Safety and Standards Act of 2006 to ensure availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption, the petitioner argues that the measures adopted now are grossly inadequate.
“The number of food safety officers, food analysts and accredited laboratories are alarmingly insufficient …,” the PIL filed through advocate Manu Ramachandran stated.
Even after implementation of the Act, most of the food operations lay outside the licensing or registration regime. As per the Act, all food business operators are required to obtain registration from FSSAI. Health minister’s statement in the assembly that there are only two lakh outlets in Kerala is far from actual truth, the petitioner said.
When the government made vigorous efforts to make Kollam a ‘Safe Food District’, 50,000 food business operators came forward to take registration, the petitioner points out.
Businesses like roadside eateries, those with a turnover of more than Rs 50,000 per day and event management groups that serves food do not have licences. Kollam district has only 11 food safety officers and they can inspect only 6,912 outlets a year. Thus, more than 90% of the operators are not inspected, it is alleged.
Food poisoning: Sports dept turns a blind eye to intelligence report
Thiruvananthapuram: Even days after food safety commissioner M G Rajamanickam filed a report to sports director, recommending a police inquiry into recurring incidents of food poisoning at G V Raja Sports School, no action has been initiated so far.
This is despite the fact that intelligence wing of police pointed fingers at higher officials in the school over the food poisoning incident. The education department has transferred the school principal, head master and a teacher in connection with the incident.
For every student around Rs 200 is spent for food each day. The school has over 300 students, and the contract for mess amounts to around Rs 18 lakh per month. Sources said that there is strong lobbying for getting the contract and higher officials of the school and the sports department are involved in it.
Despite intelligence report alleging that repeated food poisoning incidents in the school could have seriously harmed the students, the sports department has no plans to go for a police inquiry into the issue. Sports director Sanjayan Kumar said that the department has terminated service of the contractor who was running the mess after department-level inquiry found that there was fault on his part. “Now we have constituted committees for daily, monthly and bi-monthly monitoring of mess. Steps have been initiated to invite a new contractor. Meanwhile, Kudumbashree has been given charge for running the mess,” he said.
However, when TOI asked why there is no probe into the repeated cases of food poisoning, there was no satisfactory reply. “Right now we have not taken any decision to recommend police inquiry. We may do if we feel that it is necessary,” said the sports director.
Sports secretary B Ashok said that the recommendations of the food safety commission were handed over to sports director for further action. Ashok said that he has not seen the intelligence report so far.
However, education department was quick to act on the intelligence report which raised allegations against school authorities. While higher education secretary transferred school principal C S Pradeep, directorate of public administrations transferred headmaster Jainraj S and a teacher.
DPI K V Mohankumar said that though the department is yet to access the intelligence report, it has taken the decision on transfers based on media reports. “We learnt from media reports that school authorities are involved in the incident. That is why headmaster and a teacher were transferred. Sports department is in charge of administrative matters and so it has to take further action,” he said.
Former principal C S Pradeep was unavailable for comments despite repeated attempts over phone.
Fish sellers question test report
Imphal: The All Manipur Fish and Egg Traders' Association (Amfeta) on Thursday demanded that the food safety department prove the authenticity of the presence of formalin in fish.
The department imposed a ban on import of fish preserved in ice from outside the state following complaints from various sections about presence of formalin on June 29.
It was banned after the department found presence of formalin in ice-packed fish.
The department continued to check formalin's presence by collecting some more fish samples from Imphal market.
Joint secretary of the association, A. Sashikumar, has sought clarification on how six samples were found to be formalin-positive out of 17 samples taken on July 2.
"From where, when and how were the samples taken?" he asked the food safety department.
Sashikumar added that the chief commissioner of land administration and special chief secretary of Andhra Pradesh, Anil Chandra Punetha, had clarified on Wednesday to Manipur's chief secretary Suresh Babu that formalin was not used as a preservative since it is hazardous to health.
Sashikumar said fish are imported from five companies of Andhra Pradesh. He, however, said he could not provide facts and data on the recent losses.
He added that normal consumption of 10,000 kg per day had reduced to 300-400 kg per day after the news broke about use of formalin.
Less ice-packed fish was seen selling in Imphal market on Thursday.
The traders said the food safety department has not intimated the traders directly.#There were only notifications in newspapers.
The department imposed a ban on import of fish preserved in ice from outside the state following complaints from various sections about presence of formalin on June 29.
It was banned after the department found presence of formalin in ice-packed fish.
The department continued to check formalin's presence by collecting some more fish samples from Imphal market.
Joint secretary of the association, A. Sashikumar, has sought clarification on how six samples were found to be formalin-positive out of 17 samples taken on July 2.
"From where, when and how were the samples taken?" he asked the food safety department.
Sashikumar added that the chief commissioner of land administration and special chief secretary of Andhra Pradesh, Anil Chandra Punetha, had clarified on Wednesday to Manipur's chief secretary Suresh Babu that formalin was not used as a preservative since it is hazardous to health.
Sashikumar said fish are imported from five companies of Andhra Pradesh. He, however, said he could not provide facts and data on the recent losses.
He added that normal consumption of 10,000 kg per day had reduced to 300-400 kg per day after the news broke about use of formalin.
Less ice-packed fish was seen selling in Imphal market on Thursday.
The traders said the food safety department has not intimated the traders directly.#There were only notifications in newspapers.
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