By Himami Chandna
CSE study also names Hindustan Unilever, Nestle, Subway & Burger King for selling products with salt & fat content higher than FSSAI threshold.
Packaged and fast foods sold by top food companies contain “dangerously” high levels of salt and fat, claims a new study by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), the Delhi-based research and advocacy think-tank.
Released Tuesday, the study alleges that the popular snacking brands such as PepsiCo, Domino’s, ITC, Patanjali, Hindustan Unilever, Nestle, McDonald’s, Subway and Burger King sell products with salt and fat contents much higher than the threshold set by the country’s food regulator, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
The thresholds are in the draft of the Food Safety Standards (labelling and display) Regulations, 2019, but are yet to be notified.
The industry has been opposing the regulator’s move mandating a “red-coloured label” on food packets containing high salt and fat content.
The study has also accused the industry of misleading consumers by downplaying the exact amount of trans fats in their products. It found that in some samples, the actual fats levels were 50 times than that declared on the food packets.
According to the American Heart Association, eating trans fats increases the risk of developing heart disease and stroke. It is also associated with a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Several studies have also shown that high intake of salt (sodium chloride) is associated with high blood pressure which in turn, raises the risk for heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, and other health problems.
Article first published on ThePrint.
