FSSAI’s consultation on responsible food labels, claims in ads

To strengthen India’s regulatory framework on food labeling, advertisements, and claims, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) convened a national stakeholder consultation in Delhi, to evaluate the effectiveness of existing regulations, address implementation challenges, and explore ways to align with global standards to strengthen consumer protection, foster public health, and support innovation in the food industry.

The consultation titled ‘Comprehensive analysis of regulatory framework on food labelling, advertisement and claims,’ held at Vigyan Bhawan on 13 August, brought together around 700 representatives from line ministries, government departments, scientific experts, food businesses, state food safety authorities, industry associations, consumer organizations, and academic institutions.

Inaugurating the consultation, Punya Salila Srivastava, secretary in the ministry of health and family welfare, emphasized the importance of ethical and truthful practices in labeling and advertising in the food sector. “Things are changing rapidly today. We are now exposed to the entire world, which means we must adopt many positive changes and best practices, while also scrutinizing food products more closely. In this fast-moving world, consultations like this are vital.”

Highlighting the need for honest and truthful declarations in the food industry, Nidhi Khare, secretary, department of consumer affairs, urged the industry to make truthful and honest declarations and to voluntarily come out and say what the product contains and desist from misleading advertisements and manipulative practices.

She said, “food labeling should not just be a marketing tool; it should be treated as the most essential factor of trust between a manufacturer and a consumer. We want a truthful and honest declaration of whatever is contained in the food product, and the consumer should be left to make the final choice.” She underlined the collective responsibility to ensure that this information is accurate, transparent, and truthful, enabling consumers to make informed, safe, and healthy choices with absolute confidence.

Sanjeev Sanyal, member, Economic Advisory Council to the prime minister, noted that claims in advertisements need deeper scrutiny and even scientific evidence needs external validation. Sanyal said FSSAI’s announcement that all label changes and related rules and regulations will be implemented only once a year removes a big uncertainty for the labeling industry and is a major step.

Highlighting the seriousness of false claims in the food sector, Prabhat, additional secretary, ministry of information and broadcasting, emphasized the need for accountability and accurate communication. “There is an increasing need to ensure advertisements are ethical, truthful, and not misleading, particularly in the context of health and nutrition claims. False claims in this sector not only undermine consumer trust but also pose serious public health risks,” he said.

An insightful technical session on ‘An Overview of Global and Indian Regulatory Framework on Food Labelling, Advertisement and Claims’ was followed by a session on FSSAI’s enforcement case studies titled ‘From Claims to Compliance.’ The sessions concluded with an interactive discussion involving various stakeholders, fostering dialogue on key challenges, industry responsibilities, and collaborative approaches toward effective implementation of food labeling and advertising regulations.

The consultation facilitated the exchange of knowledge and experiences among stakeholders, resulting in actionable recommendations for improving the regulatory framework, addressing emerging challenges, and fostering collaboration to enhance consumer trust and public health.

The event was part of a series of national-level stakeholder dialogues designed to address key regulatory issues requiring multi-stakeholder engagement. G Kamala Vardhana Rao, chief executive officer, FSSAI, Alka Rao, advisor (S&S&R) FSSAI, US Dhyani, executive director, FSSAI, Satyen Kumar Panda, advisor (QA), FSSAI and senior ministry officials were present at the event.