Indian Sellers Collective Raises Concerns Over FSSAI’s Nutrition Rating System and Its Impact on Traditional Indian Foods
If FSSAI’s Nutrition Rating System is implemented, most traditional Indian delicacies will be labelled unhealthy
Team L&M
The Indian Sellers Collective, an umbrella organisation representing trade associations and sellers across the country, has raised strong objections to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India’s (FSSAI) proposed Front-of-Pack Nutrition Labelling (FOPNL) and the Indian Nutrition Rating (INR) system.
The Collective argues that the proposed framework uses a narrow and “unscientific” lens to evaluate food items and could unfairly classify several traditional Indian delicacies as unhealthy.
According to them, if implemented in its current form, the system could negatively impact foods that have been part of India’s cultural and culinary heritage for centuries.
Traditional Foods Under Scrutiny
As part of its internal study based on the proposed rating system, the Indian Sellers Collective claims that several popular Indian sweets and snacks may receive low nutritional ratings.
Items such as Mathura Peda, Patisa, Mysore Pak, Peanut Chikki, Instant Poha, and Soan Papdi could be rated between 0.5 and 1 star on a scale where five stars represent the healthiest foods.
For example, Mathura Peda—also offered as prasad in religious traditions—could receive as low as a 0.5-star rating, while Soan Papdi, a widely consumed festive sweet, may receive only 1 star. Similarly, Mysore Pak and Peanut Chikki may also fall into the lower rating categories under the proposed system.
The FSSAI draft notification, released on September 13, 2022, proposes amendments to the Food Safety and Standards (Labelling & Display) regulations. The Front-of-Pack Nutrition Labelling system is designed to rate foods based on nutritional values per 100 grams or 100 ml, with ratings ranging from 0.5 stars (least healthy) to 5 stars (healthiest).
Concerns Over Evaluation Methodology
Critics argue that evaluating foods solely on a per-100-gram basis does not reflect actual consumption patterns in India. Many traditional sweets and snacks are consumed in small portions, often between 20–30 grams, making the rating system potentially misleading when applied uniformly.
The Collective believes that such a framework does not take into account India’s diverse dietary practices, climatic conditions, and cultural food habits.
“Indian foods have evolved over centuries and are naturally designed to suit climatic conditions and genetic composition of Indians,” said Abhay Raj Mishra, Member and National Coordinator of the Indian Sellers Collective.
He added that dietary needs vary significantly across regions. Coastal areas like Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Kerala traditionally consume foods with higher salt content due to humid conditions, while agrarian regions in Punjab and Haryana often rely on energy-dense foods to sustain long working hours.
According to Mishra, applying a uniform global standard may overlook these regional and cultural differences. He further stated that Western models appear to influence such regulations, which may not align with Indian food realities.
Concerns from the Food Industry and MSMEs
Industry stakeholders have also raised concerns over the potential economic impact of the proposed rating system, particularly on India’s micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the food processing sector.
Dhairyashil Patil, President of the All India Consumer Products Distributors Federation (AICPDF), highlighted that traditional food clusters such as Bikaner’s bhujia industry provide employment to millions, including a large number of women.
He warned that lower nutritional ratings could influence consumer perception and shift demand away from traditional products towards heavily marketed packaged foods, including those manufactured by multinational companies.
Patil noted concerns that consumers may perceive Indian foods with lower star ratings as unhealthy, while processed Western-style foods could gain an advantage through fortification or reformulation.
Debate Over Food Labelling Standards
The Indian Sellers Collective has also questioned whether the proposed system fully reflects the complexity of Indian diets.
It argues that both traditional and modern processed foods contain similar levels of sugar, salt, and fat. A simplified rating system may not capture these nuances.
The organisation further claims that the implementation of FOPNL could unintentionally accelerate the westernisation of Indian dietary preferences and impact the survival of small-scale food producers.
According to the Collective, India’s food processing industry has been growing steadily, and any regulatory shift that alters consumer perception could significantly affect livelihoods dependent on traditional food production.
The debate around FSSAI’s proposed Front-of-Pack Nutrition Labelling system highlights a larger conversation. The conversation about balancing public health objectives with cultural food heritage and economic sustainability.
The regulators aim to promote healthier eating habits through clearer labelling. But, industry stakeholders call for a more contextual approach. The appraoch should consider India’s diverse culinary traditions and regional dietary needs.
As discussions continue, the challenge remains to find a middle ground that supports both informed consumer choices.
