Why food labels need to include clear information about sugar, salt and fat

Public health professionals and physicians set strong restrictions on salts, sugars, saturated fats, and other harmful ingredients in packages and super-processed foods and beverages in a session of multiple stakeholders on childhood obesity in India. He emphasized the need for urgent policy measures to establish. India has more than 14.4 million obese children, making childhood obese children the second most common country in the world. By 2025, this number will reach an astonishing 17 million.

As in the trajectory of other developing countries, the proportion of packaged and super-processed foods is increasing. Experts representing major institutions such as AIIMS and Rishikesh. The Indian Academy of Pediatrics and the Indian Institute of Hepatobiliary Science have found that the only way to control this increasing obesity epidemic is to establish a scientific cut-off limit for harmful components and a pack label (FOPL) for packaged products. I said there is. Publish and help consumers make the right informed choices.

The ultra-processed food industry is growing at a record pace in India, which is also the second of the world’s top five sugar beverage markets. Despite some studies needing to promote and adopt a healthy diet, especially in the wake of this pandemic, multinational food companies are unhealthy without government restrictions on any of the harmful ingredients. It shows that it continues to promote super-processed foods and sweet drinks.

Overweight and obesity are directly related to life-threatening non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer. According to Dr. Rekha Harish, President of the Indian Academy of Pediatrics for NCD Prevention, obesity is the result of an imbalance between calories burned and calories burned. “Usually, increased consumption of unhealthy and processed foods combined with lack of physical activity leads to this preventable condition, which is rapidly emerging as the most serious public health challenge of the 21st century. Studies show that 75-80% of severely obese children remain obese as adults and are at increased risk of various NCDs. At least 15% of children in India are obese or overweight, These numbers increase steadily if left unchecked. Strong policies governing harmful ingredients in super-processed and packaged foods, including food labels, allow parents to make informed choices. Is required.”

Dr. Umesh Kapil, a professor of clinical epidemiology at the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS) in India, states that India needs to establish clear cutoffs for salt, sugar and saturated fat. “For cutoffs based on evidence of antinutrients such as sugar, salt and saturated fats in packaged foods, there is ample scientific evidence and a globally agreed WHO SEARO framework. The Indian government has these WHOs. We need to quickly adopt the restrictions recommended by us and introduce simple, smart and interpretive front-of-package labeling (FOPL). Food labels should provide clear guidance, for example adopted in Chile. The black octagon that is showing in advance whether the food contains excess fat or sugar. Evidence-based nutritional cutoff labels are easy and time consuming to understand. He also helps a great deal in addressing the country’s childhood obesity crisis. ”He also puts a strong and effective FOPL implementation a hurdle as the food industry can delay or divide the scientific world. I warned that I would face it.

Dr. Manoj Kumar Gupta, Dean of the Institute of Medical Sciences in Rishikesh, noted the clinical evidence that clearly correlates the intake of ultra-processed foods with many serious health conditions, saying: As doctors, we want to assert that we should not hold only children and their families accountable to prevent or combat this condition. Protecting children and achieving a nutritious food system for them is our joint duty as a policymaker, the food industry, and as a physician. “

Dr. Rabbi Kant, director and chief executive officer of the All Indian Institute of Medical Science in Rishikesh, emphasized the importance of ensuring a healthy and nutritious food environment for children. “As doctors, we are interested in this upward trend. Childhood obesity has some long-term consequences, some of which are irreversible. Clear when families buy these products. Evidence-based limits should be set on high levels of salt, sugar, and fat in packaged foods to provide guidance. ”To limit salt, sugar, and other ingredients of concern. A simple understanding of the strong regulations of food and the front of food packaging labeling (FOPL) is important for consumers and parents to understand the amount of empty calories and harmful nutrients their children are consuming. ..

WHO describes FOPL as “healthy, both in encouraging consumers to make informed healthier food choices and in re-prescribing products to avoid disclosure of nutrient content that is detrimental to manufacturers. It is one of the policy tools that can support a healthy diet. ” The purpose of the FOPL policy is to easily and quickly inform consumers about the content of sugar, sodium and saturated fats and discourage the purchase of unhealthy packaged foods. To date, 11 countries around the world have enacted legislation requiring FOPL.

In 2018, the Indian Food Safety Standards Authority (FSSAI) announced a draft regulation for FOPL, which was subsequently withdrawn for further deliberation. In December 2019, FSSAI separated FOPL from general labeling regulations. The process resumed in December 2020 and is now seeking consultation with civil society, industry and nutrition experts on a viable model for India. FOPL is mandatory and works best when applied to all packaged products. Labels are interpretable, simplified, and ready to display, based on a strong nutrient profile model.

This story is written using a press release. The length and style have been edited.