Chennai (PTI): Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Anbumani Ramadoss on Saturday said the Food Safety and Standards Bill is now in its final stages of preparation and would be tabled in Parliament shortly.

Delivering keynote address at the World Diabetes Summit-2008 here, he said, "The bill is now in its final stages of preparation and my ministry will introduce it in the Parliament shortly."

He said the Bill would make product information mandatory on all processed food labels. "Labelling rules will be amended and the final notification will be put up for public comment."

Ramadoss claimed that the Act would ensure that all the processed foods manufactured and sold in India carries weight and nutritional information including energy value, amounts of protein, carbohydrate, fat, information on vitamins and mineral and types of fats, especially harmful trans fatty acids that raise cholesterol.

The Minister said that a National consultation about strategies to reduce junk food consumption would also be held shortly.

On chronic diseases in the country, he said that India was experiencing a rapid health transition, with large and rising burden of chronic diseases, which accounted for 53 per cent of all deaths.

He said India has the largest number of people with diabetes in the world, with an estimated 40.9 million in 2007 and projected 69.9 million in 2025.