Colour-coded label proposed for packaged food products

New Delhi: Packaged food companies will be required to label high fat, sugar and salt content levels on the front side of the package with "red-colour-coding" as per the draft regulations proposed by food regulator FSSAI.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) said that its new 'Labelling and Display' regulations is ready for draft notification.

These regulations will supersede the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Regulations, 2011.

"The idea behind the new labelling regulations is to enable citizens to know more about the composition of food products, so that they can make informed choices," FSSAI said in a statement.

According to the proposed draft Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, the packaged food companies will need to declare nutritional information such as calories (energy), saturated fat, trans-fat, added sugar and sodium per serve on the front of the pack.

The food companies would have to declare, per serve percentage contribution to RDA (recommended dietary allowance) on the front of the pack.