Jubilee Post News & Views
New Delhi. The Peoples’ Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR), Food Industries Welfare Association (FIWA), and Bhartiya Vyapar Mandal organized a round table workshop in Constitution Club of India to raise awareness and drive discussions on the adoption of front-of-package labeling (FOPL) in India.
The primary objective of the workshop was to emphasize the importance of Star Rating Food Label-based FOPL regulation in curbing noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and encouraging healthier dietary choices.
The draft notification on FOPL, proposed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, which introduces the “Indian Nutrition Rating” (INR), has garnered significant attention from various stakeholders.
With diseases like diabetes, cancers, and heart attacks being major causes of annual deaths in India, reducing the consumption of unhealthy food products is vital in combating NCDs.
Mr. Lenin Raghuvanshi, Founder of PVCHR, highlighted the challenge of the double burden of malnutrition in India during the workshop.
With approximately 15 million obese children (the second-highest globally) and over 45 million children facing stunting or undergrowth, addressing this issue becomes a top priority. Surprisingly, undernutrition is responsible for almost half of all under-5 child mortality in India.
Mr. Raghuvanshi stressed that non-communicable diseases are the leading cause of global mortality, and unhealthy dietary choices are often a result of the fast-paced urban lifestyle and uncontrolled consumption of highly processed foods and beverages. He urged the Indian Chamber of Commerce to collaborate with the Health Minister and CEO of FSSAI to implement robust FOPL regulations with warning labels, aligning with the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) and All India Institute of Medical Sciences.
Dr. Girish Gupta, National President of FIWA, recognized the vital role of the food processing industry in India’s economy. Apart from providing employment opportunities, generating foreign reserves, and supporting farmers’ income, the implementation of FOPL is expected to benefit this industry significantly. It presents an opportunity to attract foreign investment and promote substantial growth.
Dr. Ankur Singhal, National President of BVM, emphasized that the implementation of FOPL not only has significant health implications but also positively impacts the food processing industry. As the market shifts towards healthier food choices, the Indian food processing industry can seize a unique opportunity to attract foreign investment and experience substantial growth.
We believe that the widespread adoption of front-of-package labelling is essential to address the growing burden of non-communicable diseases and malnutrition in India. The workshop will serve as a platform to discuss the most effective strategies to implement FOPL and promote healthier food choices among consumers,” said Shri Pakauri Lal Kol, Member of Parliament – Robertsganj.
The round table sensitization workshop successfully brought together experts, industry representatives, and stakeholders to engage in constructive discussions and shape the future implementation of FOPL in India.During the workshop, a diverse group of participants from various organizations came together to discuss the issue of NCD and child obesity collaboration. The keynote addresses were delivered by prominent individuals, such as Shri Abhishek Pratap (Advisor at GHAI), Dr. Arun Gupta (Convenor of NAPI), Shri Shailendra Dubey (representing Akhil Bhartiya Grahak Panchayat), Mr. Ajay Janmayjay (National Spokesperson of Bhartiya Vyapar Mandal), and several government authorities, including Shri Ashok Thakur (from NAFED), Shri B.S Acharya (Retired Deputy Director of Food Safety & Standard Authority of India), Dr. R.K Bharti (Joint Director of MSME), and Mr. Suni Kumar (Assistant Director at MSME).
The keynote addresses primarily emphasized the significance of collaboration in effectively addressing NCD and child obesity. Furthermore, Shri Lalji Desai (Chief Organizer of All India Congress Seva Dal) and Adv. Sushil Raaja (Senior Panel Counsel at the Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of India, and Founder and President of Atal Foundation) provided valuable perspectives on securing children’s nutrition rights through FOPL. The workshop was expertly facilitated by Shirin Shabana Khan, Program Director at PVCHR.
