Govt to regulate packaged food labelling

New guidelines to be issued soon

Praveen K Singh - New Delhi

The ministry of health & family welfare will issue fresh labelling guidelines to food packaging companies in order to clamp down misleading labels. A senior official in the ministry informs, "It was observed that several food companies were not following given norms and flouting rules with misleading labels, where all the said ingredients are not being used. There was a need to crack the whip and the new guidelines will be stricter."

The source also divulged that the new guidelines would be in addition to the Codex Alimentarius, which has global reference in international food trade and is as per the TBT Agreement in references to international standards.

According to code of ethics for international trade in packaged food, 'no food should be in international trade which (a) has in it or upon it any substance in an amount which renders it poisonous, harmful or otherwise injurious to health; or (b) consists in whole or in part of any filthy, putrid, rotten, decomposed or diseased substance or foreign matter, or is otherwise unfit for human consumption; or (c) is adulterated; or (d) is labelled, or presented in a manner that is false, misleading or is deceptive; or (e) is sold, prepared, packaged, stored or transported for sale under unsanitary conditions'.