New Delhi, April 30 (H.S.): The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has initiated a new initiative under which people can register complaints about false claims made regarding food products. Consumers can now file complaints related to misleading or false claims displayed on packaged food products through the Food Safety Connect mobile application or the Food Safety Compliance System.

This initiative also helps in presenting essential details in an easy manner. It includes front-of-pack images that highlight misleading claims, the FSSAI license or registration number of the manufacturer, and if the product is sold online, the e-commerce URL. These inputs will assist regulatory authorities in taking prompt and evidence-based action against non-compliant food business operators (FBOs).

FSSAI has mentioned in the information released on Wednesday that this facility is based on the regulatory framework of the Food Safety and Standards (Advertising and Claims) Regulations, 2018 and the Labelling and Display Regulations, 2020, which mandates that all claims made on food products must be truthful, clear, meaningful, and non-misleading, and any claim regarding certain nutritional or health attributes of food must be scientifically substantiated.

This initiative is also in line with the functioning of FSSAI’s Advertising and Claims Monitoring Committee (AMC), which monitors claims made on food product labels and advertisements for regulatory compliance. The new reporting mechanism will act as the eyes and ears of the Food Safety Authority for consumers. The Food Safety Connect mobile application is available for download on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar