Label claims on packaged food could be incorrect & incomplete: ICMR
ICMR) has said stressing that consumers should read the information carefully to make informed and healthy choices.
In its recently issued dietary guidelines, ICMR said «Some manufacturers use labels to make incorrect and incomplete claims about their food products.»
The report said health claims on packaged food are designed to catch the consumer attention and convince them that the product is healthy. It also pointed out that sugar-free foods maybe loaded with fats, while packed fruit juices may contain only 10 per cent fruit pulp.
«Though the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) has strict norms, the information presented in labels could be misleading,» the dietary guidelines for Indians issued by the Hyderabad-based National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) under the apex health research body said on Wednesday.
Citing examples, the NIN said a food product can be called 'natural' if it doesn't have added colours and flavours or artificial substances and goes through minimal processing.
«This term is often used rather loosely. It is often used by manufacturers to identify one or two natural ingredients in the mix and this can be misleading,» it said, urging people to read the label, specifically the ingredients and other information carefully to cross-check the claims.
According to the FSSAI regulation, for the claim 'real fruit or fruit juice,' any food item with even a small amount of fruit juice containing 10% or less of fruit added to a product is allowed to state that the product is made with
