FOOD ADVERTISEMENTS-FSSAI TO BE LAUDED FOR ACTION AGAINST VIOLATORS

World over a significant segment of food industry indulge in unethical practices including mislabeling and misleading advertisements making tall claims about the virtue of their products with no supporting evidence. A vigilant overseeing mechanism can haul up the delinquents for their wrong practices. But it is the advertisements, especially in the electronic media, that become dangerous to vulnerable consumers who believe in them. There is no official technical vetting of the contents of TV commercials before telecasting and this "free for all" arrangement is a win-win situation for both the product promoters and the telecasting companies. Such promoters are so unscrupulous that they indulge in saturation advertisements targeting children and unassuming house wives and unfortunately there are no guidelines for the telecasters in accepting sponsored ads with misleading contents. The Chairman of the Press Council is more interested in politicking than disciplining the reckless media! The latest initiative by FSSAI in clamping down on such culprits is indeed laudatory and must be appreciated.

Why should there be any restriction on such advertisements when most of these are based on some information gleaned out from the literature? Answer is very simple. The claims are often exaggerated and some times misinterpreted and the way the commercial ads are designed, it carries some conviction with the viewers, most of them being children and house wives. Many parents tend to be swayed by  ceaseless ads which are cleverly juxtaposed with popular serials and other programs creating a lasting image of the products promoted. Such impressions, carried as a baggage when going for shopping, translate into buying some of them involuntarily! Imagine who will not be swayed by claims that promise to make their children taller and healthier or make children more intelligent and brainy! 

It is right on the part of FSSAI to find these ads "misleading and deceptive". Take for instance the claims of a brand of Multi-grain Noodles', which unabashedly proclaim day in and day out that the product has nutritional benefits s or for that matter , a brand of cooking oil which promises "healthy heart"!  In still another case FSSAI filed against the advertisements of two brands of beverages for claiming that they provide three times more stamina than an ordinary chocolate drink though the manufacturers concerned do not have any scientific evidence to support such a claim! Citizens in this country must have been fed up by advertisements by a multi national company that its product, containing more than three dozen nutrients, is a "complete food" though there is no such thing in the world as a complete food. Health pundits all over the world want consumers to adopt a diverse diet containing whole grains, fruits and vegetables and unsaturated oil containing foods. If a product containing no grains, no dietary fiber, is claimed as a complete good, it is both unethical and borders on criminal misrepresentation. 

One of the most difficult tasks of a consumer when going for shopping, is to decipher what is presented on the label. Assuming that the consumer has the necessary time and patience to read the label completely the message coming from such labels is often confusing. Many times the information is printed in very small prints which are next to impossible to read, let alone understand. There is no uniformity with regard to the declaration of MRP, pack weight, ingredients, nutritional data, manufacturing date and "best before" date. This is where iconic representation of the quality of a product can be of great help to millions of consumers, especially those who does not understand English or other languages. 

It is one thing to issue notice and another thing to follow it up through deterrent action and whether FSSAI has the necessary determination to punish these culprits remains to be seen. The list of brands against whom notices have been issued includes some of the giants in food product manufacturing and their political clout cannot be under estimated. With most of the legal luminaries, commanding astronomical fees, rushing to take up cases of all hues and colors, no matter how morally or ethically they are not factual, FSSAI can be expected to have a full fight on their hand if these cases are really pursued to their logical end. Here are best wishes for this "Authority" to succeed.

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

MISLEADING HEALTH CLAIMS-SIGNS OF SOME FIRE WORKS AT LAST!

Success of a consumer product depends on the ability of its manufacturer to convey to the consumer the features of his product and convince him about its USP. Intense competition in the market puts pressure on the manufacturers to make inflated claims regarding the superiority of his product. As long as these claims do not cross the line of verifiable facts, they can be acceptable. The label on the food packet has sufficient provision to print the facts about the product and information such as the identity of the manufacturer, quantity of contents, ingredients, manufacturing date, best before date, nutritional profile, MRP, method of preparation and any other relevant but truthful facts. This can give a fairly good idea to the consumer based on which first time purchase is made. Repeat purchase will happen only if consumer is convinced about the overall quality of the product and the reasonableness of its price.

While Food Standards and Safety Authority of India (FSSAI) is vested with the authority to enforce food laws prevailing in the country, its implementation arm is the concerned state which is supposed to be equipped to inspect, collect samples, analyze them and prosecute if they do not conform to the standards. How ever neither the FSSAI nor the state administration has adequate infrastructure and needed personnel in quality and number for doing a decent job. Recent reports from Ahmedabad and Ludhiana regarding large scale adulteration of food by traders expose the underbelly of FSSAI!

While monitoring of food safety and quality as it exists to day is a sham, what goes on in the advertisement area is a hoax perpetrated by some industry on the unsuspecting consumers. Circumventing regulations that bar printing unsustainable claims on food labels, small screen has become the playing field for some of the unscrupulous industry players to influence the mind of the consumer through saturated advertisements, some time involving icon personalities from sports, film world and even wayward members from the scientific field. Promoting a food claiming faster brain growth, growing stronger, sharper and taller, increasing body stamina, etc will naturally influence any mother or house wife in her purchasing decision.

It has taken the government so long to take notice of this obnoxious behavior on the part of the food industry is some thing alarming about its commitment to protect the citizens from unfair exploitation. In a recent announcement by GOI, a resounding declaration was made that it was going to come down heavily on food industry making `tall' claims about the benefits of their products through advertisements. Further GOI wants to evolve a specific code to be followed by the industry which will restrict misleading and deceptive claims made on the effect of products on nutrition, health, exceptional intelligence or physical ability. In case of a violation of the code, the FSSAI wants to take action by publicizing the fact through the media which is considered a strong deterrent for potential violators and there is also a provision to impose a penalty of Rs 10 lakh. Lack of a legal framework in the country for regulating advertising standards on food and beverage companies, probably tempts manufacturers to indulge in such devious practices. The Advertising Standards Council has in place a voluntary code for advertisers in general, with no specific guidelines for advertising by food and beverage companies and it is rare that any one is pulled up for such unethical activities.

Consumer will patiently wait to see the words from FSSAI being translated to action in the coming days and if these utterances do not provide the needed deterrence, consumers may eventually rise against the industry as well as the government agencies for defaulting on their responsibilities to protect them from exploitation and dangers of unsafe foods..

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

FOOD HABITS-INFLUENCE OF THE "IDIOT BOX"!

TV viewing by children is sought to be regulated through mandatory control by the GOI as well as voluntary restrictions by the media industry. Screen violence, indecent images and dialogs and content language
can have far reaching influence on the tender minds of children who cannot exercise viewer discretion unlike the adults. The very fact that TV medium has access to millions of homes make it a powerful communicator with potential for harm as well as benefits, depending on how it is harnessed. Depicting smoking or drinking on the screen, especially by familiar personalities with name and fame can have an "imitating" influence on youngsters, aspiring to become some body in life.

When it comes to promotion of food products on the small screen, very little restraint seems to be in place, looking at hundreds of advertisements sponsored by manufacturers of processed foods. In the absence of food and nutrition experts working with the monitoring authorities, many advertisers get away with ludicrous claims of benefits in consuming their products. In a startling observation in the UK it was found that kids spending hours in front of the TV end up with bad eating habits by unconsciously believing that those appearing on the ads are good for them. It is a common knowledge that mostly less healthy food products are advertised in the TV while healthy foods rarely receive any publicity at all. There are isolated instances of industries collectively taking up nutritional causes that may benefit their range of products collectively. Promotion of milk and egg is a typical example but these days these ads are becoming conspicuous by their rare appearances.

How can any one blame the kids when their favorite actor sips a fizz drink in style, singing virtues about the product? Can we find fault with the mothers if they believe in the ads that emphatically proclaims about growing tall, sharp and smart if a particular beverage is consumed? Branded potato chips have become the standard bearer as far as the youths are concerned, thanks mainly to the near saturation advertisements in almost all TV channels. RTE breakfast cereals, most of them loaded with sugar appear every day tempting the kids as well as the mothers to replace traditional foods like Idli, Vada, Dosa, Uppuma, Poori or Chapathi. Is there no way out of this quagmire we see ourselves in? Voluntary restraint by the industry is more easily said than done because business has no human face or social commitment, being driven relentlessly by profit motives and one cannot blame them entirely for this as their investments are at stake. If ads about cigarettes and liquors can be banned, why not apply the same yardstick to those food ads which are misleading? Why cant we have a "TRUTH PANEL" consisting of nutritionists and food scientists to arbitrate on ads which do not reflect reality vis-a-vis foods? At least such ads should have nutritional warnings that consuming them can have negative consequences also.

ICMR, under the Ministry of Health, should take the lead in evolving a practical code for food advertisements and evaluation of outlandish claims with practically no scientific basis. Also for consideration is whether to insist on including a nutritional message with each food ad that appears on the small screen. For example when a cola drink is promoted why not include a message that natural fruit juices are best for the health, or including a message about virtues of fresh vegetables in ads promoting potato chips or highlighting the goodness of milk in ads promoting instant coffee. The MFPI of GOI must take up on a priority development of promotional capsules that will stress on good eating habits, nutritional advantages of traditional foods, superiority of fresh fruits and vegetables for good health, virtues of taking milk regularly and similar causes. Promoting food industry at any cost should not be the motto of the GOI and State Governments but how best it can be done, without compromising on the health of the population, should be upper most in their mind while evolving any future strategy.

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/