NEW DELHI: Food labels on packaged goods can be misleading, says apex health research body ICMR, saying consumers should read the information carefully and make informed healthy choices. He said he emphasized that it should be done.
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It also pointed out that sugar-free foods can be high in fat, and packaged fruit juices may only contain 10 percent pulp.
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The Indian Council of Medical Research, in its recently issued dietary guidelines, said that health claims on packaged foods are designed to grab the attention of consumers and convince them that the product is healthy.
“Although the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has set strict standards, the information on labels can be misleading,” said the National Institute of Nutrition, part of the Hyderabad-based apex health research institute. The dietary guidelines for Indians said on Wednesday.
Citing several examples, NIN said that food can be called “natural” if it has no added colors, flavors or artificial substances and is minimally processed.
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“This term is often used quite loosely. It is often used by manufacturers to identify one or two natural ingredients in a mixture, but this can be misleading.” , urged people to read labels carefully, especially the ingredients and other information. Cross-check your claims.
NIN provided several examples of potentially misleading statements on labels.
Regarding the 'real fruit or fruit juice' claim, NIN states that as per FSSAI regulations, food products with fruit juice added to the product, even in small amounts, for example, where the product contains no more than 10 percent fruit, are allowed. Stated. State that the product is made with real fruit pulp or juice.
However, products that claim to be made with real fruit may contain only 10 percent actual fruit pulp and may have added sugar or other additives.
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Regarding “made with whole grains,” he said these words could be misunderstood. Such statements do not necessarily mean that the food is not tertiary or ultra-processed.
When a food label says “organic,” it simply means that it is free of all artificial preservatives, flavors, and colors, and that the food ingredients are free of pesticides and chemical fertilizers. may be.
If both of the above are met, the label can state that it is 100% organic and bear the “Jaivik Bharat” logo approved by FSSAI.
Additionally, people often associate sugar-free foods with low calories and perceive these foods to be beneficial for diabetics and weight watchers, the report said.
“Sugar-free foods can contain fat, refined cereals, and even hidden sugars. These mean the food has a high glycemic index and is high in calories,” NIN says.
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Although nutrition and health claims are regulated by the FSSAI, the guidelines recommend that consumers exercise caution by checking claims against ingredient and nutritional information on the label.
According to the guidelines, manufacturers may also use labels to make inaccurate and incomplete claims about their food products.
There is a common misconception that “Nutritional Information” and “Nutritional Information” are the same thing.
A nutrition claim is any statement that suggests or implies that a food has specific nutritional properties.
Claims such as “low calorie”, “high fiber”, “low fat”, “low sodium”, etc. are not complete information. These must be substantiated by providing actual values or nutritional facts about the product.
The guidelines also recommend that the 'manufacturing date' and 'use by date' indicate that the quality and safety of the product may be compromised and that consumption beyond that date increases the risk of food poisoning.
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The “serving size'' is listed under the “nutritional information'' on the label. This is one of the most important pieces of information on the label, as all nutrition facts listed in the guidelines are based on the serving size listed.
Serving sizes are listed several different ways on labels and depend on the food being mentioned. The most common units are grams, cups, scoops, and pieces. Even when serving sizes are listed differently, they tend to be listed in grams most of the time.
The guidelines also call for checking the net weight of the packet. This is the total amount of product included in the package. Nutritional information is typically based on 1 serving per 100g/100ml, but many packages may contain more than 2 servings or more than 100g or 100ml.
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“Check how many servings per ml/g are used relative to the number of serving units used on the nutrition facts label. Depending on the amount of food used, Evaluate calories and other nutrients,” the report says.
The Dietary Guidelines for Indians have been drafted by a multidisciplinary expert committee headed by Dr. Hemalatha R, Director, ICMR-NIN, and have undergone several scientific reviews.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to the text.
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News / Health / Packaged food labeling can be misleading: ICMR
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