FSSAI to introduce health star rating for packaged foods

What is the News?

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) will soon start a Star Rating System for packaged food products.

What is FSSAI Star Rating System for packaged food Products?

This Star Rating System for packaged food products will be the first such in India.

Aim: To guide consumers to opt for healthy food. 

Under this system, packaged foods will display the number of stars on the front of the pack, indicating how healthy or unhealthy it is depending upon the amount of salt, sugar and fat it has.  

Exclusion: milk and dairy products will be excluded from this proposed front-of-the-pack labelling.

Adherence: This rating system will be initially voluntary from 2023 with a transition period of four years. After this, it would be made mandatory.

This rating system will be similar to the one that is being used by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency for assessing the energy efficiency in electrical devices.

Why is FSSAI planning to bring this Star Rating System for packaged food Products?

FSSAI has taken this decision based on a study conducted by IIM Ahmedabad regarding the methodology to be used to display the health ratings of the food items.

The study has recommended Front of the Pack labelling(FoPL) for packaged food products as it would be easier for the customer to understand.

Note: At present, countries such as the UK, Chile, New Zealand, Mexico and Australia have Front of the Pack labelling(FoPL) for packaged food Products.

Source: This post is based on the article “FSSAI to introduce health star rating for packaged foods” published in Livemint on 2^nd Mar 2022.