INDIAN NUTRITION RATING – HEALTH
News: Bournvita
row | FSSAI needs an energy shot to regulate processed food
What's in the news?
● The
social media influencer drawn into the Cadbury Bournvita controversy, has a
supporter. The Nutrition Advocacy in Public Interest — India (NAPi), a think
tank working on nutrition policy, has issued a statement saying they stand by
him.
Indian Nutrition Rating (INR):
● It
mandates pre-packaged foods to carry a star
rating similar to the energy-efficiency ratings on electronic goods, to
discourage the consumption of foods high in sugar, salt and fats.
● The
regulation will require pre-packaged food to carry a star graphic, ranging from ½ to 5, next to the brand name.
● The
unhealthiest food items carry a ½-star rating and the healthiest carry a 5-star
rating.
Criteria for Scoring:
● Contribution
of energy.
● Content
of saturated fat, sugar, sodium, fruit and vegetables (FV), nuts, legumes, and
millets (NLM), dietary fibre, and protein per 100 gm of solid or 100 ml liquid
foods.
● Solid
food with a score of more than 25 will be given 0.5 stars, and those with a
score less than minus 11 (-11) will get 5 stars.
Types:
Daily Intake Guide:
● The
proportion of the daily recommendations of nutrients is present in one serving
of the pre-packaged food.
Nutritional information Panel:
● It
provides the quality of each of the main nutrients present in the food.
Traffic Light Labelling:
● It
shows the amount of fats, salt, sugar, etc, present in the serving and
classifies it with colours like red, orange or green based on how healthy it
is.
Warning Label:
● It
shows whether the quality of salt, sugar and fats is high, without providing
details of the quantities in the food.
Star Rating:
● It
provides 1 to 5 stars based on how healthy the product is, with 5 being
healthiest and 1 for least healthy.
Implementation:
● The
food businesses may add interpretive information next to the star-rating logo,
giving details of energy, sugar, saturated fat, and salt content.
● To
generate the star-rating logo for the product, food businesses have to submit
nutritional profiles of the products concerned on FSSAI’s FoSCoS (Food Safety Compliance System) portal.
Exempted Products:
● Food
such as milk and milk products,
whey, butter oil, ghee, vegetable oil and fat, fresh and frozen fruit and
vegetables, fresh and frozen meat, egg, fish, flour, and sweeteners will not
have to display the star rating.
● Carbonated beverages
without any energy or sugar will also not be
eligible for declaring the rating, according to the notification.
Significance of Nutrition Rating:
Caution for Customers:
● A
warning symbol on foods high in sugar, salt, and fat are more likely to
discourage people from consuming them. The consumer needs to be cautioned about
junk foods through ‘warning' labels.
Healthy Choice:
● Warning
signs educate consumers about harmful ingredients present in a food product and
help them make healthy choices.
Educating Consumers:
● It
will educate consumers about the nutrition profile of the food they are
consuming.
Informed Decision:
● Warning
signs give a repetitive educational message so that even for domestic cooking
or buying street food that warning bell goes off.