Indus Valley Times

‘Ultra-processed food, beverages containing high quantities of salt, sugar and saturated fats fuelling childhood obesity, raising risk of non-communicable diseases

By Swagatika Bhutia & Gopal Biswal

BHUBANESWAR, DEC. 10: Odisha women and child development minister Tukuni Sahu on Friday committed her support in favour of strong Front of Package Labeling (FOPL) regulations in all packaged food and sugar sweetened beverage, an important step to safeguard the health of children who are particularly vulnerable.

“Ultra-processed food and beverages containing high quantities of salt, sugar and saturated fats are fuelling childhood obesity and raising the risk of non-communicable diseases in our country. Mothers, as primary decision makers of food purchase, should have the right to choose the healthiest product for her children. Labels are effective when they provide a quick guide regarding the healthfulness of a product. FSSAI has initiated this very important process and we hope it can soon adopt a simple and interpretive FOPL which limits the quantity of these anti-nutrients and paves the way for a healthier future,” the minister said here at a multi-stakeholder consultation on need for front of package labelling to reduce burden of non-communicable diseases.

Apart from minister, industry leaders, doctors and government officials shared their visions on the need for adhering to FOPL regulations.

Rajkishor Mishra, director Rupayaan, a food safety advocacy entity, cited the importance of FOPL in controlling non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

Amalin Patnaik Project Coordinator-India Nutrition First, said there is a necessity of adapting to the World Health Organisation (WHO) nutrition profile model with specification on salt, sugar, fats and trans fats that are allowed in each type of food item. It is a globally agreed model and is science backed. The Covid-19 pandemic has given a new business opportunity of providing healthier and informed choices to consumers with a huge market. As such early mover always gets an advantage. 

Dr PKB Patnaik, Addl. Director, Dept. of Health and Family Welfare, Govt. of Odisha said, “The last three decades has seen a sea change in disease prevalence. Children get diabetes and other deadly diseases. Research has established that one of the causative factor is high consumption of readily available and affordable packaged food. As more and more people from the economically weaker sections take to packaged food, a strong FOPL is crucially important to steer them towards healthier choices. ”

India, already the diabetes capital of the world, fighting an obesity epidemic and having high prevalence of cardiovascular diseases is facing the threat of a sicker population and higher rates of mortality. Early adoption of food policies such as front-of-package warning labels, marketing restrictions, and taxes on junk food and sugary drinks, all could help consumers to make healthier food choices during this critical time.

Representatives of popular snacks, confectionery and bakery brands such as Bikalananda Kar Industries, Essar Bakery, Divya Multigrains, Ruchak, Ruchi Foods Urmee, Jagannath Flour Mills, Prime Sauce, etc. fully recognised the need for such measure and affirmed their commitment towards healthy food. “World over the food industry is taking steps to ensure that their products are safe and healthy for the consumers. We are prepared to be part of that momentum and manufacture food products that are at par with global standards. A key step to that end would be ensuring that ingredients that may cause health harm – such as salt, sugar, saturated fats – are present in our products as per global limits.”

Food Safety Standards Authority India (FSSAI) published draft regulation for FOPL for the first time in 2018. Consultations have continued since then and in a recent interview, Mr Arun Singhal, CEO, FSSAI has declared that the apex regulatory body is planning to introduce mandatory limits and front of pack information from December 2021. Front-of-pack food labelling is considered to be a powerful and simple tool for discouraging excessive consumption of processed foods. It is part of a multi pronged strategy to reduce the disease burden of the country. More than 5.8 million Indians die every year from Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) such as cancer, diabetes, uncontrolled hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. Most of these deadly diseases, although hard to treat, can be prevented by modifying diets and supporting a healthier, sustainable food system.

“The packaged food industry which is growing at a record pace in India, is ready to play a proactive role in building a healthier food system for our country. This will also improve our product acceptance in foreign markets and increase the export volume as well ” said Sai Sibani Kar, MD, Kar and Brothers, leading and oldest Odisha brand. Similar

Govt. Designated officer Food Safety, Mr. Satyajit Patel said, “The state food authority is prepared to do its bit to ensure that we are enforcing the government mandate in the strictest possible manner. We will ensure that all manufacturers abide by the FOPL regulations and safeguard the health of consumers.”

Emphasizing the need for a scientific approach when it came to determining the content of salt, sugar and fats in packaged foods, Dr Amiya Gouda, Associate Professor, SCB Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack said, “It’s a do or suffer position with respect to control of dietary risk factors in India. According to the recent NFHS 5 survey data, there has been more than 5 to 7% increase in prevalence of NCDs and nearly all states have bigger waist size as compared to NFHS 4. We would do well to just adopt it and make a tangible impact on health outcomes.”