FSSAI Mandates Bold Labelling of Sugar, Salt & Fat on Packaged Foods

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has made it mandatory to display nutritional information regarding added sugar, salt, and saturated fat in bold letters and relatively big font sizes on labels of packaged food items.

In a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, BL Verma, informed that mandatory guidelines were approved on 19th June this year to empower consumers to better understand the nutritional value of the product they are consuming and make healthier decisions.

He said in the interest of consumers the FSSAI has notified the Food Safety and Standards (Food for



Infant Nutrition) Regulations 2020, which prescribes the standards for different categories of infant food and formulae, which mandates the Food Business Operators (FBOs) to clearly specify the preferred source of carbohydrates in food for infant nutrition.

The minister said FSSAI and state food safety authorities conduct regular surveillance, monitoring, inspection, and sampling of food products, including infant food products. He also added that food business operators (FBOs) have been asked to comply strictly with the labelling requirements and standards under these regulations, including limits on sugar content and specified food additives.