Food items to now get 'star rating': FSSAI issues draft notification for nutritional labeling — check details

FSSAI issues draft notification: Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued a draft notification for responses from experts and the public towards printing of Indian Nutrition Rating (INR) on food packets. As part of this labeling exercise, healthy food items will get a higher nutritional rating. 

According to the notification, it is mandatory for packaged products to have information about ‘Nutritional Content’ on the packet. The information should include the sum of calories, saturated fat, sugar, and sodium which should be calculated at 100 grams/milliliter.

Further, the products will be rated by INR, according to which the more stars a food product gets, the healthier it will be. 

Moreover, the INR logo should be prominently displayed next to the brand. This is mandatory for all packaged products, dairy, and beverages.

This draft will be open for objections and suggestions for 60 days. This practice will be voluntary for up to 48 months from the date of issue of final notification. After that, it will be mandatory for all to follow. 

What is FSSAI?

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has been established under Food Safety and Standards, 2006 which consolidates various acts and orders that have hitherto handled food-related issues in various Ministries and Departments. 

FSSAI has been created for laying down science-based standards for articles of food and to regulate their manufacture, storage, distribution, sale, and import to ensure the availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption.

Role of FSSAI

• Framing of Regulations to lay down the Standards and guidelines in relation to articles of food and specifying appropriate systems of enforcing various standards thus notified.
• Laying down mechanisms and guidelines for accreditation of certification bodies engaged in the certification of food safety management systems for food businesses.
• Laying down procedures and guidelines for accreditation of laboratories and notification of the accredited laboratories.
• To provide scientific advice and technical support to the Central Government and State Governments in the matters of framing the policy and rules in areas that have a direct or indirect bearing on food safety and nutrition.
• Collect and collate data regarding food consumption, incidence, and prevalence of biological risk, contaminants in food, residues of various contaminants in food products, identification of emerging risks, and introduction of rapid alert systems.
• Creating an information network across the country so that the public, consumers, Panchayats, etc receive rapid, reliable, and objective information about food safety and issues of concern.
• Provide training programmes for persons who are involved or intend to get involved in food businesses.
• Contribute to the development of international technical standards for food, sanitary and phytosanitary standards.
• Promote general awareness about food safety and food standards.