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FSSAI considering labelling foods containing salt & sugar as junk food
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Saturday, 28 January, 2017, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Ashwani Maindola, New Delhi
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The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is moving towards labelling food items that contain large amounts of salt, sugar and fat as junk food. The apex food regulator is considering this based on the Indian diet chart or recommended daily intake of these ingredients.
According to sources, FSSAI is considering labels for such foods, and in the coming months, it would come out with the necessary regulations. Many people opined that this was the result of the long-standing battle between the industry and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and mediated by the government and the judiciary.
There were petitions in court, and draft guidelines defining such foods and prohibiting their sale in the periphery of schools were also released some time ago.
A senior industry representative said, “It’s been a long fight, particularly driven by the NGOs.” He opined that it was the habit that is junk food-oriented, and not the food per se.
“Everything you eat in a day may cause harm if taken in the amount more than required. It is true for salt, sugar or fat. Not only noodles, aerated drinks, potato chips and ice cream, but even Indian sweets, pickles, parathas, etc. would come under the category of junk food, as they are high in sugar, salt and fat,” he said.
“Junk food is a bad word. If a food is labelled as junk, it means the food is rotten, discarded and waste. How is FSSAI going to allow such food?,” the representative added.
“Instead of just going by the sugar, salt and fat content, the apex regulator should consider the processes that go into the making of such foods. For example, air fryers are among the options available to make such food,” he added.
Nikhil Garg, proprietor, Rajasthan Sweets and Namkeens, said, “The major drawback is that smaller players, to which the government is giving a platform, will be affected. The major brands in the processed food category have introduced their healthy or diet variants, but for these small players it will be difficult to sustain.”
"We were also planning to enter the quick service restaurant (QSR) module with our own products, but because of junk food, or to term it in other words, the food which is liked by people (which is itself a big category), our decision is on hold for the time being,” he added.
“Even if the labelling will not state directly that it is junk food, I am sure the regulator will come up with labelling products as high-fat, high-sugar, high-salt, etc. Even this will affect players on a wider scale. Not every product is healthy. If you go by science, anything which is in excess will cause harm when it comes to food,” Garg said.
FSSAI has issued draft guidelines stating that benefits of balanced, fresh and traditional food cannot be replaced, and schools should not promote foods high in fat, salt and sugar. They added that children are not the best judge of their food choices.
The sale of foods high in fat, salt and sugar such as sugar-sweetened beverages, chips, ready-to-eat noodles, pizzas, burgers, fried foods and confectionery items will be restricted in and near schools, and the advertisement and promotion of such foods targeted at children will be regulated.
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