The Supreme Court of India on Tuesday directed the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to place nutrition labels at the front of packaged food. Milind Deora, Shiv Sena MP and chair of the parliamentary committee on subordinate, stated that this move will assist FSSAI in implementing the decision without any further delays.
Deora wrote on X, “The Supreme Court has directed @fssaiindia to implement simple front-of-pack nutrition labels on packaged food. As Chair of Parliament’s Subordinate Legislation Committee, I’ve recommended studying Singapore’s clear A-to-D Nutri-Grade system.”
The post by Shiv Sena MP also mentioned that this will also give a sense of empowerment to the citizens and will enable them to make healthier choices. In alignment with this, the health ministry has also proposed to display sugar and oil boards as an initiative to promote healthier dietary habits in various scenarios.
The sugar and oil will serve as a reminder for people displaying key information about hidden fats and sugars in everyday foods, especially in places such as schools, offices, public institutions, etc.
Recently, Milind Deora stated that India should regulate unhealthy foods sold by multinational companies, along with Jalebis and samosas, the famous Indian snacks, to tackle with rising obesity issue in the country.
“As chairman of the Parliament Subordinate Legislation Committee, which has members of parliament from all parties, we are at present examining this very issue. Along with the agency called the FSSAI which is the food regulator in our country,” the Rajya Sabha MP said on Monday.
The Union Health Ministry’s National Programme for Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NP-NCD) now includes initiatives to foster healthier habits in workplaces. This aims to combat rising rates of obesity, diabetes, and hypertension by encouraging less consumption of oil and sugar, major factors in these lifestyle-related disorders.
(With ANI Inputs)