Favouring an overhaul of norms for labelling of food products, regulator FSSAI on Tuesday said consumers are getting influenced by 'dazzling' advertisements and are buying products without seeing the labels. “Even educated consumers do not read label while purchasing food items. We get influenced by dazzling media advertisements and buy products without seeing the label. There is no awareness to check contents of the label,” FSSAI Chairman Ashish Bahuguna said on Tuesday.
Speaking on the occasion of the National Consumer Day here, Bahuguna said, “To promote healthy food, we need to focus on label. We need to change norms of labelling. Unless consumers know what is the content in the product, how would he know it is healthy for him.” National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission President D K Jain also said the consumers get confused about labels printed on food items and the Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSAI) should look into labelling issues related to ‘expiry date’ and ‘best before’. Stating that consumers normally do not distinguish between safe and healthy food, Bahuguna said, “The food which is safe is not necessarily be healthy. It is important for consumers to check how and from where they get safe food.”