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PHOTO: N.SRIDHARAN

NUTRITION FACTS They’re printed on the product

However, it is a fallacy to assume that the packaging and labelling of a food product indicates its quality or usefulness. Such normative information is not mandatory in India by law. In comparison, western countries such as the U.S., have strict labelling standards; food labelling is required for most prepared foods such as breads, cereals, canned foods, snacks, deserts and drinks. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration requires that such products carry a Nutrition Facts label. Although this varies slightly among products, such labels are required to carry product specific details, including serving size, calories and nutrient information, including that on fats, sodium and fibre. While violation of nutrition standards is a punishable offence in countries such as the U.S., in India we seem to observe none of the strict standards laid down elsewhere.

The Food Safety and Standards Act, a legislation that aimed to consolidate the laws relating to food and regulate the manufacture, storage and distribution of food items, does not make any distinction between the food products manufactured by the agribusiness companies and those sold by street hawkers and dhabas. The law creates some confusion about the provisions relating to nutrient declaration. There are no clear guidelines and the rather ambiguous requirements on ingredients are perceived by many FMCGs as tantamount to giving out ‘sensitive information’ to competitors. The clause on ‘allergy’ labelling has also led to some knee-jerk trepidation among manufacturers, partially caused by the absence of a list of allergens.

Nutrition labelling is only one of the many areas being looked into by research based institutes such as the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) in Hyderabad. Compulsory nutrition labelling will provide consumers with a basis for making qualitative comparisions between different food products in the same category. Manufacturers will also have to be more careful about processing methods and standards in order to preserve the wholesomeness of foods.

Consumers will be less likely to be taken advantage of; in a nation fraught with penury, this is of crucial significance. Personal decisions on health and nutrition will take on a new significance with consumers more aware of what to consume and how much.

While nutrition is a vast subject, India needs more stringent and specific regulations governing the labelling of products. This is necessary for the necessary paradigm shift we need in our approach to matters concerning nutrition and health. That we have already come a long way is reflected in the fact that many FMCGs voluntarily provide nutrition information on packets of food products even though not legally required.

However, we still have a long way to go. In comparison to the U.S’ mandatory nutritional labelling regulations and the manner the law is implemented in that country, we stand very poorly. Any product purchased in that country – be it a bag of chips or a can of baked beans – will tell you how much fat it contains (saturated or otherwise) and how much of one’s serving contributes to a Daily Value (DV) – the daily recommended allowance of carbohydrate, fat, sodium, cholesterol or sodium.

The provision of such information can go a long way towards inking a better script for the nation’s collective health.

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