MUMBAI: ‘Eating sugar is dangerous to health,’ this statutory warning may soon appear on all sugar bags.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is contemplating making it mandatory for this statutory warning to appear on all sugar bags.
Sugar Commissioner Shekhar Gaikwad said that the draft is ready. The FSSAI is likely to ask the sugar factories to print the warning on sugar bags soon.
“Sugar consumption has gone down in the last few years. As per studies, sugar consumption per person per day has dropped by 100 grams,” he said.
In Maharashtra, sugar consumption is about 35 lakh tonnes per year.
Across the country, it is 130 lakh metric tonnes per year.
“In the last few years, demand for sugar is going down due to changing habits of people. Due to health reasons, many people have switched to sugar-free products. Many have decreased their sugar consumption. Concerns about diabetes and weight gain are the reasons behind the drop in consumption,” said Gaikwad.
“Sugar factories have stock of 70 lakh metric tonnes sugar. This year, projected sugar production of sugar is 58.28 lakh metric tonnes. According to the projection the sugar stock will be under control in the next few years,’ said Gaikwad.
According to FSSAI, currently, most of the packaged food firms print nutrition details of the contents that include their recommended daily values, at the back of the package. In a bid to encourage customers to make healthier food choices, these regulations propose to make it mandatory to display red colour-coding on front of the pack labels on packaged food products having high-fat, high-sugar and high-salt content. This requirement would be implemented in a phased manner over a period of three years.
For the country’s sugar mills, which are already reeling under the impact of falling prices and a piling inventory, this move could come as a major blow as it would give the message that consumption of sugar is harmful to health.
