Milind Deora backs FSSAI crackdown, says one year is fair for food cos to shift to new labelling

New Delhi: Six months to a year is enough time for food companies to transition to the proposed front-of-pack nutrition labelling regime, Milind Deora, chairman of the parliamentary committee on subordinate legislation, said, calling the time frame "fair."

The FSSAI had recently proposed about four months to finalise the regulations, including the consultation process, followed by a 365-day transition period for food businesses to shift to the new labelling regime during an ongoing case in the Supreme Court.

Also Read: SC reserves verdict on FSSAI’s front-of-pack food labelling rules, seeks final submissions


"I think six months to one year is a fair time frame wherein industry has understood that now this is a reality, and that consumers want to be informed," Deora told ET, adding that a year should be adequate to get the industry's supply chain ready and aware.

Deora, however, said the transition period should not mean delaying basic nutritional disclosure on the front of food packages.

Nutritional information required on the back of packs should be moved to the front immediately, while a simpler warning or rating system could follow within the transition period.

"Bringing (nutritional) information to the front of pack has to happen now," he said, adding that within a year India should move towards a simple system that allows consumers to understand what they are consuming without having to decipher complicated nutritional information.

The FSSAI has proposed red hexagonal warnings on the front of packaged foods high in specified nutrients of concern such as sugar, salt and fat.

The regulator has told the Supreme Court that the system is intended to provide consumers with a simple and easily understandable warning.

'Crackdown a welcome step'

Deora also backed recent regulatory action against food companies and restaurants and called for tougher enforcement against misleading claims and public disclosure of violations.

Also Read: FSSAI proposes single-phase food warning labels, gives industry one-year transition time

Food companies have on several occasions raised concerns over regulators "naming and shaming" businesses on social media. The FSSAI and several state food safety authorities have been publishing details of enforcement actions and instances of non-compliance to inform consumers. "As far as the FSSAI cracking down on companies and saying that these are misleading labels, I 100% think these are good things," Deora said. He described recent enforcement as a "wake-up call" for industry and a "welcome step" by the food authority.