Packaged food products in India will soon be labelled with an official health star rating (HSR), a top official at Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) said.
The rating will be the first such in India, a country burdened with lifestyle diseases, and is aimed at guiding consumers to opt for healthy food.
The HSR format ranks a packaged food item based on salt, sugar, and fat content and the rating will be printed on the front of the package.
Health Star Ratings will help you quickly and easily compare the nutritional profile of similar packaged foods to help you make informed, healthier choices when shopping. Health Star Ratings can now be displayed on fresh fruit and vegetables.
About the IIM Ahmedabad report :
This move follows a report by the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM-A) on the impact of front-of-the-pack labelling for packaged and processed foods.
The study endorsed the HSR format as the best suited to Indians in helping to choose healthier packaged food items under a new policy on Front of Packaging Labelling (FoPL).
IIM-A has recommended HSR as the most preferred format by Indian consumers under proposed FoPL in India.
This national survey by IIM-A is the voice of more than 20,000 people across the country and none of the countries in the world has surveyed people at such a large scale.
What is the expectation :
FoPL will bring a transformational reform in the society as it will encourage healthy eating.
It will also help to reduce the burden of Non- Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in the country,” Arun Singhal, chief executive officer, FSSAI, told Mint.
The FSSAI, a body under the ministry of health and family welfare (MoHFW) had directed IIM-A to conduct a large-scale survey to analyse major FoPL models that are available across the world and identify one which is easy to understand and can induce behaviour change among Indian consumers.
In India, packaged food has had back-of-package (BOP) nutrient information in detail but no FoPL, which, as global experience suggests, has the ability to nudge healthy consumption behaviour with respect to packaged food.
At present, countries such as the UK, Chile, Mexico, New Zealand, and Australia have FoPL.
Following the report, the FSSAI has sought feedback from industry associations for evaluation by a scientific panel so that the HSR model can be included in the draft regulation formulated by the government.
The food regulator has exempted milk and dairy products from the proposed FoPL, as they were in the earlier FSSAI draft notified in 2019.
Also, the scientific panel has recommended voluntary implementation of FoPL from 2023 and a transition period of four years for making it mandatory
What is the challenge :
A big flaw in the HSR system is that unhealthy products are still able to get a high score.
This is because the rating is based on the overall nutritional value, and the inclusion of healthy ingredients (i.e. fibre, protein and vitamins) cancel out the unhealthy ingredients (i.e. sugar, saturated fats and salt).
About FSSAI :
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India(FSSAI) is a statutory body established under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India.
The FSSAI has been established under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, which is a consolidating statute related to food safety and regulation in India.
FSSAI is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the regulation and supervision of food safety.