New threshold sugar content recommended; food, beverages industry see red

Under pincer attack both from the health-freak brigade and the medical community, sugar is fast losing its sweet spot. Taking the fight against sugar a big step ahead, the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) has recommended threshold sugar content for the first time for packaged foods and beverages.

This step by NIN could impact many branded soft drinks, juices, cereals, cookies and ice-creams and similar food items in stores and online and marks a conspicuous departure from the earlier practice of declaring calorie thresholds for beverages and foods.

National Institute of Nutrition functions in association with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and is backed by the Union health ministry.

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

It is after 13 years that the NIN-ICMR guidelines have been revised.

The new suggestions have adopted a different approach and cannot be compared to the prevalent practice.

Predictably, representatives of packaged foods companies are bristling at the new guidelines which they term as impractical, The Economic Times reported. They think that should the government proceed with the new recommendations, most branded foods and beverages brands would be compelled to alter their formulations.

“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’,” said the head of one of India’s largest packaged-food makers.

A senior official of another beverage company argued 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.”

ET has reported that the packaged foods companies are planning to put forth their objections in a body to NIN and ICMR within 10 days.

The new guidelines have been formulated by a multidisciplinary committee of experts. They state that for solid foods, the “threshold for sugar has been calculated at ~5% energy from added sugar, and not exceeding 10% energy from total sugar”.

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

The new guidelines have arrived in the midst of rising concerns over obesity and diabetes levels. Furthermore, in the recent past objections surfaced over high sugar content in malted drink Bournvita and Cerelac, a popular baby food brand. Regulatory glare also stripped the former of its health drink tag in April.