FSSAI CEO says preventing micro-nutrient deficiencies is key, ensure no misleading claims
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), CEO G. Kamala Vardhana Rao on Monday stressed on the responsibility of packaged food companies to ensure proper nutrition content in their products to prevent deficiencies. Highlighting the changing consumer landscape, he added that consumption patterns are witnessing shift in the country towards packaged and processed foods.
He was speaking at the inaugural session of a Ficci event. A white paper released by FICCI and Deloitte pointed out that urban consumers now allocate nearly 50 per cent of their food budgets to packaged and prepared foods.
“Consumers have paucity of time and there are shifting towards processed and packaged food. So it becomes a great social responsibility on you (packaged and processed food companies) to ensure that products meet nutritional needs and have micro-nutrients,” he said.
Rao also stressed on the need for the industry to ensure they do not make misleading claims on the packaging and labels. He said that the industry has been responding promptly when directed by the Authority in withdrawing health claims which it finds to be misleading.
Meanwhile, Hemant Malik, Chair of the FICCI Food Processing Committee and Executive Director, ITC Ltd & Div CEO ITC Foods, expressed industry concerns about the labelling norms, advocating for “serving-size-based” front-of-pack nutrition information rather than per-100g measurements. He added this is important since “most consumption of packaged food is in small sizes,” and cautioned against broadly categorising packaged foods as “ultra-processed”.
The FICCI-Deloitte report noted that India currently less than 10 per cent of its agricultural output (4.5 per cent for fruits, 2.7% for vegetables, 21.1 per cent for milk), indicating significant growth potential. Also, Indian processed food exports valued at $48 billion (16 per cent of agriculture exports), far below the potential compared to other markets. It pointed out that there is opportunity to reformulate millets, makhana and other native superfood to meet needs in line with global wellness trends.
Anand Ramanathan, Partner & Consumer Industry Leader, Deloitte South Asia, said,” Consumer demand is shifting towards clean-label, protein-rich and gut-friendly foods, driving a structural evolution in how India consumes food. India is poised to lead the global narrative on health-driven, tech-enabled and inclusive food systems, fuelled by advancements in AI, IoT and blockchain. The opportunity before us is not just to feed a billion, but to do so with purpose, resilience and intelligence.”
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Published on May 21, 2025
