Sweet truth: In a first, ICMR proposes fresh dietary guidelines to limit sugar levels in packaged foods and beverages

In a first, the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) under the health ministry backed Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has recommended revised dietary guidelines to maintain thresholds of sugar content in packaged foods and beverages. Many stakeholders from the packaged food industry have raised concerns stating that the newly released norms demand changes to the formulation of many food products— making it impractical.

A section of food packaged makers in the country have already raised concerns that they were not consulted before the guidelines were issued. The head of one of country's largest packaged food makers was quoted by The Economic Times as saying: “The guidelines have not been formulated in consultation with large packaged foods and beverages players. They (the guidelines) are not practical and based more on theory. Going by these guidelines, even basic foods will not qualify as ‘healthy’.”

The revised guidelines will replace an earlier set of norms that capped calorie thresholds for packaged food products and beverages. The guidelines have been revised after a period of 13 years.

An expert committee at the NIN is said to have curated the new set of guidelines. The committee has proposed that for solid food— “threshold for sugar has been calculated at approximately 5 per cent energy from added sugar, and not exceeding 10 per cent energy from total sugar”.

For beverages, the “threshold for sugar has been calculated at approximately 10 per cent energy from added sugar, and not exceeding 30 per cent energy from total sugar (including naturally present sugar in fruit juices/milk, etc)”.

According to ET, packaged food companies are reportedly planning to make joint representations to ICMR and NIN within 10 days i.e., from the day the revisions have been proposed. Many from the sector also said that such a revision to dietary guidelines would also impact the online market of the packaged food products.

While health advocates have termed the revision to be crucial for consumers, another top executive from a beverage company reiterated that it would be “impossible and unreasonable to expect us to change formulations... We anyway inform consumers on packs about sugar content, for them to choose what they wish to consume.”

Stating that the NIN guidelines "follow global best practices", a senior executive at Hyderabad-based NIN said: “Such guidelines have been set for the first time. In India, a clear definition of these terms was not attempted so far either by the regulators or by researchers.”

The executive further asserts: “While it is common knowledge that highfat-sugar-and-salt foods and ultra processed foods have to be minimised, in India a clear definition of these terms has not been attempted so far either by regulators or by researchers.”

The aforementioned dietary guidelines come amid much scrutiny by FSSAI and other food regulatory bodies. Concerns also have been raised on increasing risks of diabetes while obesity is another major issue that NIN and ICMR look to address.

Earlier this year, a probe by a Swiss NGO, Public Eye had claimed that two of the best-selling baby-food brands by Nestle in India and other lower-income countries contain high levels of added sugar, while they are sold sugar-free in the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland among others. While a probe was ordered by CCPA into the allegations raised by the NGO— Nestle clarified that it never compromises on compliance, and it has reduced added sugar in baby food products in India by up to 30 per cent depending on variants over the past five years.

Last month, Nestle India Chairman & Managing Director Suresh Narayanan also came out with a statement that the company's infant food formulation for children below 18 months is done on a global basis and the allegation that "it is racially stereotyped is unfortunate" and untrue.