Mandatory front-of-pack labeling in the offing
To be effective, front-of-pack symbols must be a part of the principal display panel and should have appropriate symbol-to-text ratio specifications.
Hyderabad: People in Hyderabad and in other urban-centres usually struggle a lot to keep-up with their daily battle against bulge! Increasingly, these days, their daily consumption of processed food replete with unsafe levels of fat, sugar and salt, have also become a major reason why their best laid-out plans to control fat fails.
To ensure customers are informed properly about the nutrient content of food items that they are purchasing and do not end-up procuring unsafe food products, concerted efforts are underway by multiple agencies including regulatory authorities to push for mandatory front-of-pack labeling (FOPL) system on all food products.
While actual implementation of FOPL system is still a few years away, researchers from Hyderabad-based National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), in a recent paper on ‘Front-of-Pack Nutrition Labeling System’ that was published in the The Lancet journal, said “it might be ‘beneficial for front-of-pack labeling in India to be symbol based, with food images, logos, and health benefits.
To be effective, front-of-pack symbols must be a part of the principal display panel and should have appropriate symbol-to-text ratio specifications. Mandatory FOPL must be preceded by strong research and in a format that is understandable and acceptable to all”.
The current food labeling system at the back of the packages relies heavily on text-based information, which has proven ineffective due to low literacy and nutrition awareness.
“Although displaying nutrition information is already mandatory in India, a study showed that Indians seldom use this information for making food choices as limited general and nutrition literacy mean understanding of the text-intensive nutrient information is difficult. However, this study also shows that symbols on food labels (eg, vegetarian and non-vegetarian symbols) have better uptake and recall value,” the NIN researchers said.
Imagine labels featuring food images, logos, and even health benefits, a language everyone understands. This, coupled with exploring labeling formats beyond just ‘per serving’ information, could create a more inclusive and effective system.
By making nutritional content readily apparent, consumers can avoid hidden unhealthy ingredients and choose healthier options.
This, in turn, can lead to a decrease in diet-related health problems. With careful design, further research and right balance of information, FOPL has the potential to become a powerful tool for promoting health and well-being for all, NIN experts said.
