Flavoured Milk
Nine brand• and their calcium and protein claim•
Flavoured milk •eem• to provide an optimal combination of ta•te, health and convenience. Indeed, it can be a good •ource of energy, protein and calcium, e•pecially for children, and the following report analy•e• the information pertaining to the•e nutrient• given on the label of nine brand• of flavoured milk and •imilar product•. We have al•o rated the •ugar and fat quantitie• a• per traffic light colour• to enable con•umer• to quickly decide if the product they are picking up i• commen•urate with their general ‘healthy food’ choice•.
Nutritional labelling of packaged food products refers to the disclosure of the main nutrients, such as energy, fat, protein, carbohydrate, sugar and salt content, on the label. As per India’s Food Safety and Standards (Packaging & Labelling) Regulations, 2011, mandatory nutritional information or nutritional facts per 100 grams or 100 millilitres or per serving of the product shall be given on the label. Such information shall contain the following: a) energy value in kilocalories (kcal) b) the amounts of protein, carbohydrate (specify
quantity of sugar) and fat in gram (g) or ml c) the amount of any other nutrient for which a nutrition or health claim is made Note that declaration of calcium is not mandatory. For preparing flavoured milk, raw milk is tested for quality and clarified or filtered to eliminate particles of dirt, dust, etc., and thereby standardised. Required ingredients and flavour are added to the milk. The mix may then pasteurise at a suitable temperature and time, cooled and filled in glass milk bottles, and capped. Sterilised milk is filled in glass milk bottles with crown-cork or in sterilised cans and sealed airtight. The containers are placed in a steriliser. The product shall conform to the designated flavour. It shall have no off-flavours. No visible sediment of the added flavouring materials is desirable. As per Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011: ‘Flavoured milk’, by whatever name called, may contain nuts (whole, fragmented or ground), chocolate, coffee or any other edible flavour, edible food colours and cane sugar. Flavoured milk shall be pasteurised, sterilised, or boiled. The type of milk shall be mentioned on the label.