‘Label claims on packaged food could be misleading’

New Delhi: Food labels on packaged items can be misleading, apex health research body ICMR has said stressing that consumers should read the information carefully to make informed and healthy choices.

It also pointed out that sugar-free foods may be loaded with fats, while packed fruit juices may contain only 10 per cent fruit pulp. In its recently issued dietary guidelines, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said health claims on packaged food are designed to catch consumer’s attention and convince them that the product is healthy. “Though the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) has strict norms, the information presented in labels could be misleading,” the dietary guidelines for Indians issued by the Hyderabad based National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) under the apex health research body said on Wednesday.NIN said a food product can be called ‘natural’ if it doesn’t have added colours and flavours or artificial substances and goes through minimal processing. “This term is often used rather loosely. It is often used by manufacturers to identify one or two natural ingredients in the mix and this can be misleading,” it said, urging people to read the label, specifically the ingredients and other information carefully to cross-check the claims.

For the claim ‘real fruit or fruit juice’, the NIN said that according to the FSSAI regulation, any food item with even a small amount, for example, fruit juices containing only 10 or less percent of fruit added to a product is allowed to state that the product is made with real fruit pulp or juice. But the product claiming to have real fruit may have added sugar and other additives with only 10 per cent actual fruit pulp.