Labelling norms takes wind out of food processing units

New Delhi, Apr 18 (UNI) Food labelling rules notified by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare have landed the food processing industry in a spot, as some of the clauses in the notification were found unviable and entailed huge costs to the industry. Ficci points out that changes encompass Quantitative Ingredient Declaration (QUID), nutritional labelling, and other labelling requirements along with licensing of proprietary food and preceded by guidance note.

Means to ensure conformity to food hygiene and safety norms at the processing level through such notification will have several problems . For starters industry chamber Ficci feels that such requirements would push up prices up products since labelling requirements would mean additional cost. This would make products inaccessible to the masses.

Such labelling has the potential of creating confusing as such declaration should only be incorporated wherever a health claim is made,says Ficci.

''Channa masala uses a picture of channa to help out illeterate customers to make a choice but does not have any channa in it. The proposed labelling requirements disqualify such practices,'' points out Ficci.

Ficci moreover feels practical problems like change in composition of ingredients in processing and due chemical reactions make these labelling requirements very tough to implement.

UNI