Hello,
For doctors, nutritionists and public health activists, ultra-processed foods are the scourge of the Indian diet. In this new marketing age, brands are “healthwashing” these foods even more. Manipulating consumers to essentially buy poison under the guise of a healthy food. Think “diet namkeen”, “protein cookies”, “high-fibre cereal” that populate grocery shelves, and instant delivery apps. And we buy them hoping that we are making healthier choices for ourselves and our family.
India's food safety standards authority, FSSAI anticipated the dominance of ultra-processed foods in our diets more than a decade ago. In 2014, they decided to create rules for brands to create labels at the front of the pack notifying consumers about the quality of the food products before they make their consumption decisions. Nearly a decade later, India still has no regulations on this.
This is a story of FSSAI stalling new rules under industry pressure. India’s newest proposed regime, a star rating for labelling the healthiness of food, has also been in a limbo for three years, after being proposed in 2022.
In April this year, two non-profits, 3S (Students’ Science Society) and Our Health Society, filed a public health litigation case against FSSAI in the Supreme Court, to ensure the policy is implemented. Since then, the case is pending in the court, and in mid-October, it is again scheduled to come up for hearing.
Media leaks show all signs that FSSAI is going to balk under pressure from the Apex court, and send the policy back to the drawing board, kicking the can of implementation further down the road.
Our reporter, Gayatri Sapru brings you that story.
Read it here: A star-crossed label
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The Reporters’ Collective