NEW DELHI: Now, consumers can directly report misleading or false claims made on food product labels.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), on Wednesday, announced the introduction of a new digital utility that enables consumers to directly report misleading claims made on food product labels.
FSSAI regulates the manufacture, storage, distribution, sale, and import of food articles, and also establishes standards to ensure food safety.
“Consumers can now lodge complaints regarding misleading or false claims displayed on packaged food items through the Food Safety Connect mobile application or via Food Safety Compliance System - FoSCoS – https://foscos.fssai.gov.in,” according to an official statement.
The Food Safety Connect mobile application is available for download on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
This initiative is part of FSSAI’s ongoing efforts to promote transparency, protect consumer rights and strengthen food safety regulations in the country, the statement added.
The tool facilitates easy submission of essential details such as front-of-pack images highlighting the misleading claim, the FSSAI license or registration number of the manufacturer, and the e-commerce URL if the product is being sold online.
These inputs will support regulatory authorities in taking prompt and evidence-based action against non-compliant Food Business Operators (FBOs), the statement added.
This consumer-centric step builds upon FSSAI’s regulatory framework under the Food safety and Standards (Advertising and Claims) Regulations, 2018 and the Labelling and Display Regulations, 2020, which mandate that all claims made on food products must be truthful, unambiguous, meaningful, not misleading and the claim that a food has certain nutritional or health attributes shall be scientifically substantiated.
The initiative is also aligned with the functioning of FSSAI’s Advertisement and Claims Monitoring Committee (AMC), which monitors claims made on the label and in the advertisement of food products to check regulatory compliance.
“The new reporting mechanism strengthens ground-level vigilance by empowering consumers to act as the eyes and ears of the food safety authority,” it said.
“FSSAI encourages all citizens to actively participate in this initiative to ensure honesty in food labelling and contribute to building a healthier and well-informed India,” it further said.