Companies will now have to declare a list of ingredients, except for the single ingredient, on the label of packaged food. As per the new draft of PFA rules, the list should contain an appropriate title such as the term “ingredients”.
Also, the names of ingredients used in the product should be listed in descending order or ingoing weight at the time of manufacture of the food.
The second draft rules of the Prevention of Food Adulteration Rules, 1955, which was notified on May 15, aims to further simplify the food labelling and package norms for the food industry.
The government has also invited suggestions or any objections with respect to the said draft rules. The rules will be taken into consideration after sixty days of its publication date.
In the case where an ingredient is itself the product or two or more ingredients, such compound ingredient may be declared in the list of ingredients and should be accompanied by a list, in brackets, of its ingredients in descending order of weight, said a draft copy.
The nutritional information or nutritional facts per 100 gm or 100 ml or per serving of the product should be given on the label containing – energy value expressed in kcal, the amounts of protein, carbohydrate (specify quantity of sugar) and fat expressed in gram (g) and the amount of any other nutrient for which a nutrition or health claim is made.
It also mentioned that where a claim is made regarding the amount of type fatty acids or the amount of cholesterol, the amount of saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids and cholesterol should be declared. The amount of trans-fatty acid should be declared in addition to the other requirement stipulated.
In case of artificial flavouring substances, the label should declare the common names of the flavours. However, in case of natural flavouring substances or nature identical flavouring substances, the class name of flavours should be mentioned on the label.