FSSAI Red Labels: 'Indians Associate Red Colour With...' Why Food Companies Say Warnings Could Confuse Consumers

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Major FMCG companies in India have raised concerns over the planned red labels on food packages that the food regulator, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI ) wants to put on packages to warn customers of high salt, sugar, or fat products.

The All India Food Processors Association, which is a body representing a number of Indian and foreign food brands, has raised concerns over the use of the colour red in the Indian context. The colour and symbol used for the warnings "require careful consideration in the Indian context", the body said ahead of a hearing in this regard in the Supreme Court on Monday, Reuters reported.

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"The ⁠average Indian consumer is habituated to associating the colour red with the mandatory non-vegetarian identification mark," the body told the apex court in a new submission, which was reviewed Reuters.

The group said it had warned the regulator that "introducing another prominent ​red warning symbol may create confusion among consumers".

Is the group opposed to warnings in front of packets?

The group said that while it does object to "indiscriminate application" of the proposed thresholds regarding warnings, it is not opposed to the idea of front-of-pack warnings, but this this should be decided in a scientific manner.

India is planning to introduce norms which are stricter than a number of other foreign markets, including adding a red warning if the wight of sugar in solid products surpasses 3% of its total weight, and when fat is present in a product in excess of 4.2%.

The industry has also said that the warnings should be decided on how each product is consumed, and not to the figure of how much of salt or sugar or fat is there in 100 g of the product, which is the current proposal by the government.

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"Indian foods are eaten in widely varying quantities, including approximately 10 gm of pickle, 15 to 20 gm of spread of condiments, 30 gm of bread," Reuters quoted the group as saying.

Court asks why govt needs four months for consultation

The Supreme Court on Monday slammed the Indian government on why it wants to "waste so much time" on public as well as industry consultations when it comes to introducing the planned food labels.

"Why do you want to waste so much time when we are concerned about ​health issues?" Supreme Court Justice J. B. Pardiwala asked during a hearing. "We expect the authority to accept our order... ⁠do not disappoint us."

With Reuters inputs

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