Packaged foods breach safe limits of salt, fat:CSE study

News:According to an analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), an array of packaged snacks and fast foods breach safe limits of salt and fat content.

Facts:

About the study:

• The study has been conducted by the Centre for Science and Environment(CSE).
• It relied on the concept of the Recommended Dietary Allowance(RDA) to calculate the safety limits.
• It found that most packaged and fast food items sold in India has high salt and fat content which is in violation of thresholds set by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India(FSSAI).
• In 2019,Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had also proposed draft Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations.But they are yet to be implemented.

Additional information:

About RDA:

• The Recommended Dietary Allowances(RDA) refer to the recommended daily levels of nutrients to meet the needs of nearly all healthy individuals in a particular age and gender group.
• It is based on scientific consensus and has been agreed upon by expert bodies such as the World Health Organisation and the National Institute of Nutrition in India.
• According to RDA,ideally an adult should not consume more than 5 gm of salt, 60 gm of fat, 300 gm carbohydrate and 2.2 gm of trans fat on every day basis.

Draft Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations:

• Food Safety and Standards Authority(FSSAI) has announced the new draft Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations.
• The new draft regulation has been brought to encourage consumers to make healthier food choices and inform them about what the product actually contains.
• The draft proposal makes it mandatory for food products that are high in fat, sugar and salt content levels to display red-colour coding on their labels.
• The front of all packaged food items will have to display the total number of calories,saturated and trans fats,salt and added sugar content as well as the proportion of the daily energy needs fulfilled by food item.
• The draft regulations also propose labelling requirements for food products sold on e-commerce platforms and restaurants and stricter norms for products that claim to be gluten-free.