Look Before You Munch

Nutrition-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are rising across the globe. Once seen as a trend in wealthier countries and affluent communities, today developing countries like India and their rural communities are also being impacted. One important factor driving the growing NCD burden is the increased consumption of cheap, energy-dense and easily available nutrient-poor foods. People are increasingly consuming highly processed foods and meals instead of nutritious meals.

To check the NCD rates, governments worldwide are implementing multi-pronged policy measures. A common and effective one is food labeling, which allows consumers to make informed and healthy choices through necessary information on the pack. In India, it is mandatory for food manufacturers to display the name of the food, a list of ingredients, net weight, brand and address of the manufacturer etc. In addition, lot/code/batch identification details must be provided for easy tracking in case of a problem. Date-of-manufacture, use-by/expiry/best-before dates, and storage instructions inform us about shelf-life and storage conditions. The declaration of nutrition information has been made mandatory since 2009. This means the label should provide nutritional facts per 100gm or 100ml or per serving and contain information on nutrients like—Energy (in Kcal); protein (in grams); carbohydrates (specifying quantity of sugar,) and fat (in gram) and specify the quantity of saturated fats and trans fats.

However, several studies show that consumers find the nutritional information on food labels difficult to decipher. As per a Nielsen report (2011), 59 per cent of consumers around the world have difficulty understanding nutrition information. In a study conducted by our institute in 2013, only 50 per cent of adolescents in Calcutta admitted reading the nutrition panel and ingredients list. In another supermarket exit survey of 1,832 consumers in Hyderabad and New Delhi, only 20 per cent said they checked the nutrition information on the food label, and about 40 per cent said they would prefer easy to understand symbols instead of text intensive information.

Promoting healthy diets coupled with a reduction in consumption of ultra-processed foods High in Fats, Sugars and Salt (HFFS) is critical in combating NCDs. Key information, especially about nutrients of concern, if presented in an easily comprehendible manner on packs, could aid consumers make healthy food choices. Front-of-Pack Nutrition Labeling (FoPNL) could serve this purpose. Regulatory bodies in several countries are revising their food labeling regulations to include FoPNLs as ‘warning symbols’ to draw attention to nutrients of concern—fats, sugars and salt.

Working towards this, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) plans to introduce a FoPNL format for the packed foods. It proposed a format and put it up in the public domain for feedback over a year ago. Acco­rding to this, if the amounts of calories, fats, trans-fats, sugar, and sodium per serving exceed stipulated limits, it would be indicated in red.

Context specific evidence on the effectiveness of ‘high content’ FoP nutrient warnings will go a long way in advocacy and regulatory processes in India. But this proposed FoPNL format could result in a few concerns amongst the three stakeholders—the scientific community, consumers and manufacturers. It focuses on ‘nutrients of concern’—fats, sugar and sodium. Regional and traditional legume-based snacks, with considerable amounts of protein, could be termed ‘HFSS’ foods. On the other hand, products like buttermilk or flavoured milk—with substantial amounts of added sugars/salts--may get exempted from mandatory FoPNL. This dichotomy could confuse consumers. The FoPNL symbol under consideration appears to be biased towards the literate and nutritionally aware consumer groups as the nutrients of concern are mentioned in text format. To understand which of the nutrients has been marked red the consumer needs to be literate! Additionally, FoPNL should vie with food marketing attributes such as food images, brand, logo and claims for consumer attention.

While FSSAI’s steps toward introducing FoPNL are welcome, it must be understandable and acceptable to users. Steps seem to be afoot to develop a culturally appropriate, easy-to-understand labelling format for mandatory FoPNL. After all, mandatory FoPNL must be preceded by strong research.

(Views are personal.)

The author is scientist and head, Nutrition Information, Communication & Health Education Division of the ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad. Views are personal.