FSSAI to curb unsubstantiated claims on food products

The regulator, on Tuesday, said it is ready with fresh regulations and will soon notify these. Through these regulations, FSSAI essentially aims to put restrictions on the use of certain words on food labels — such as natural, fresh, original, traditional, premium, finest, best, authentic, genuine, and real — unless the products meet the required parameters.

Once the new regulations are implemented, packaged food companies will need to ensure that any claims regarding nutritional or health attributes about their products are scientifically substantiated.

In addition, they will need to ensure that product advertisements do not suggest that their products were a complete meal replacement, or undermine the importance of healthy lifestyles.

“We will soon notify the regulations on claims and advertisements, which have got the final approvals from the health ministry,” Pawan Agarwal, CEO of FSSAI, said. 

The regulations will define norms for nutrient-content claims and those regarding non-addition of salt and sugar, besides specifying standardised statements for health claims for food companies.

Companies using synonyms of words like `pure’, `fresh’, `natural’ etc in their brand names - or even words that could mean so - will have to give a clear disclaimer stating "this is only a brand name or trade mark and does not represent its true nature" of the product.

The new regulation specifies norms for claims that food companies can make in their advertising and promotions. The list includes nutrition claims, non-addition claims, including non-addition of sugars and sodium salts, health claims, claims related to dietary guidelines or healthy diets as well as conditional claims.

Significantly, the new guidelines will also prohibit food businesses from comparative advertising and making claims undermining the products of competitors to promote their own products or influence consumer behaviour.