How FOPL could help India fight against an epidemic

It took seven years and a pandemic for India’s processed foods industry, consumer groups and the food safety regulator to agree on introducing the front-of-pack labelling (FOPL) that will list contents of fat, sugar and salt in packaged food products. Implementation of such a complementary public health strategy a decade ago could have slowed down India’s rapid ascent on the global diabetes and hypertension charts. Nevertheless, if implemented now, India is slated to join 10 other countries that have mandatory FOPL.Consumers in India are buying processed foods for sheer convenience or novelty value. These products, in turn, are shaping their health and lifestyle — often for the worse. Though it will still take a few quarters before FOPL regulations are implemented, it is an important measure to provide consumers the much-needed information to make an informed choice. Earlier this month, India’s top medical experts urged immediate action on FOPL to address the country’s obesity pandemic and surge in the non-communicable diseases. The introduction of explicit warnings through FOPL is also likely to prompt celebrities to be more conscientious about the products they endorse, and companies to become responsible about what they produce and market.Neither endorser nor consumer seems to be too perturbed about product harmfulness. To be sure, information about ingredients in, say, a drink is provided, although in small, hard-to-read fonts at the back or a side panel of the product. An impactful FOPL communication holds the potential to influence endorsement agreements and consumer choice.With the FOPL regime kicking in, food companies can also be compelled to change tack and launch healthier products. The pandemic has already prompted companies to align themselves with health, hygiene, wellness, immunity and nutrition. From tweaking the marketing or packaging to introducing new lines of products or fortifying foods with the essential dietary supplements, companies have gone the extra mile to woo the consumer. FOPL will add more work on the plate for companies, but it can be worth it.However, changing the product mix and introducing healthier products in the portfolio may not be easy for companies with popular, established and profitable product portfolios. For instance, in May this year, Nestlé, the world’s largest food company, revealed that more than 60% of its international products do not meet ‘recognised definition of health’, and that some of its categories and products will never be healthy, no matter how much the company renovates.Labels need to be universally applied on all processed food products, for all consumers, health-aware or otherwise. The simplicity and impactful design of the labels will increase their effectiveness and produce desired outcomes.Introducing FOPL should be among the series of measures for India’s food safety regulators. Selling of junk food in and around school premises needs to be restrained. Stringent enforcement of the food safety and quality laws is the need of the hour.Last month, the Maharashtra state Food and Drug Administration (FDA) revealed that several leading brands of honey marketed in India had failed to meet quality standards, and had even tested positive for adulterants that could pose health risks. Such instances underscore the need for a strong, active and prompt consumer redressal mechanism.If products are wrongly labelled, do not meet notified standards or are harmful, consumers need access to a prompt, hassle-free and an affordable redressal mechanism. Lack of such a mechanism remains the Achilles heel of food safety regulations in India. Till then, it is a work in progress.

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