A study by Assocham Foundation for CSR has raised concerns about the impact of the proposed Health Star Ratings (HSR) on India’s traditional food industry and cuisine. It has also called for regulating unbranded packaged food in the country and the need to protect the country’s food heritage against the onslaught of foreign foods.
The proposed HSR by the FSSAI will be based on a nutritional algorithm and ratings from 1 to 5 will be given to packaged food products indicating whether they are healthy or unhealthy.
“A mere replication of the algorithm would not suffice for the diverse Indian cuisine. India based impact analysis (cause and effect) is necessary to develop the right kind of algorithm. Regional culture and heritage have to be considered in formulation of policies, especially the algorithm,” said the report.
Based on feedback gathered from 5,000 consumers in 16 cities, the study stated that majority of respondents are aware about the consequence of high sugar, salt and fat in their diet. Respondents also said that the choice of food is important and is determined by taste, price, availability, access, health consciousness, habits and preferences.
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“81 per cent of the respondents said it was easy for them to understand (with 40 per cent saying it is “very easy” to read) the information provided on the back of the packaged food product,” the study claimed.
It added that Indian consumers, while largely satisfied with the product information provided for packaged branded goods, are concerned about unbranded goods.
“An overwhelming 94 per cent of the respondents said that they were concerned. This suggests that food regulation should focus on improving the quality and safety of unbranded and unpackaged food, which is consumed by the majority of the population, rather than just targeting packaged branded food products,” it added.
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The report also stated that it is crucial to develop a scientific understanding of traditional Indian food that considers the physiological needs of people and the socio-economic factors that influence the food industry.
“This understanding should not be based on global food categorisation,” the report added.