FMCG companies pledge to reduce salt, sugar and saturated fat in products

by Suman Agarwal/ Shiv Prakash Yadav

NEW DELHI: Several fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies and bakeries including Nestle India, Haldiram and Patanjali, have joined the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India's (FSSAI's) ‘Eat Right Movement’, pledging to reformulate packaged foods with a reduced level of salt, sugar and saturate fats. 

The FSSAI on Tuesday launched ‘Eat Right Movement’ to improve public health and combat lifestyle diseases. The campaign asks key stakeholders like food processing industries and restaurants to volunteer to reduce the percentage of salt, sugar and fat content in food.

Several FMCG companies have promised to reduce the quantity of salt, fat and sugar by 5 to 10 per cent soon. 

FSSAI's CEO Pawan Agarwal said that the edible oil industries promised to reduce trans-fat content. The edible oil companies will reduce trans-fat content by 2 per cent by 2022. Along with this, information related to the nutrient content of the packet will be mentioned on it, .i.e. the amount of sugar, salt and fat are in the food. 

The details will be mentioned in accordance with the guidelines of the  Packaging and Labelling Act. By doing so, the consumer will be able to choose the right and healthy food according to his health.

The campaign has been kick-started at a time when India is becoming the diabetes capital of the world. In addition, cases of anaemia and micronutrient deficiencies are on the rise in the country.