No FSSAI norms yet for nutrition warning labels on packaged foods

AS the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) races against a Supreme Court deadline to finalize its recommendations for mandatory front-of-pack nutrition warning labels on packaged foods, a think tank working on nutrition has said they have designed a framework which will ensure the final policy is based on scientific evidence, not on commercial influence.

- KAVITA BAJELI-DATT @New Delhi

The framework, termed the Weightage Scale for Stakeholder Comments, was submitted to FSSAI by Nutrition Advocacy in Public Interest (NAPI), a think tank working on evidence-based nutrition policy.

The scale provides a clear methodology for the FSSAI's and the expert committee to evaluate inputs by prioritizing their source and evidence-base, rather than their volume. It is based on global evidence and India's own health crisis.