Words of advice
MAKE FOOD LABELLING AND CLAIMS FOOL-PROOF
Ascertain the nutrients for which claims can be made. The kind of nutrition claims along with limits suitable in the Indian context should be finalised. All other nutrition claims should be prohibited. Only authorised health claims should be allowed. A procedure to approve health claims should be developed. A well-defined criterion for requirement and evaluation of scientific substantiation of claims needs to be worked upon. A detailed list of health claims, which are unacceptable, should be formalised. An online system for all information related to claims should be set and made available to all stakeholders, including the public. It should include an updated repository of approved and unapproved nutrition and health claims. Public health campaign on nutrition, food labelling and misleading claims should be initiated at all levels, starting from schools to mass media campaigns. The current nutrition labelling needs to strengthen. It should include mandatory labelling of salt/sodium, added sugar, and immediate implementation of saturated fats and trans-fats labelling. Serving size must be standardised to help per serve information disclosure; nutrient declaration as per serve should be mandatory. Accordingly, serving size and number of servings in a pack must be mentioned wherever applicable. Per serve nutrient information should be mentioned along with percentage contribution to the recommended dietary allowance. The reference value used for calculating percentage should also be mentioned. An easy-to-understand front-of-pack labelling system, provisions for warning labels and specified format for nutrition labelling should be developed.
MAKE ADVERTISEMENTS TRUTHFUL
Advertisements of food, particularly those high in salt, sugar or fat, should be approved prior to screening. They should be based on approved and unapproved claims finalised by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India. The evaluation should include the design and target group of the advertisement. An integrated advertisement approval and monitoring team should be set up by roping in different stakeholder ministries, such as the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Information Broadcasting and Health and Family Welfare. Advertising Standards Council of India should also be involved in this. With an aim to limit the power and exposure of advertisements to children and adolescents, celebrities should not be allowed to endorse foods high in salt, sugar or fat. No advertisement should be allowed for categories such as soft drinks on the lines of tobacco-based products. There should be stringent legal and financial penalties for misleading claims. Liability should be aligned with the scale of damage. Penal provisions should be directed towards food manufactures and/or marketers.