Sept.18: NEWS FLASH
HFSS foods to have red colour-coded labels
Informing consumers
Soon packaged food products that have high fat, sugar and salt content (HFSS foods) will have labels on the front of the pack that are colour-coded red. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) plans to make this mandatory in a bid to help consumers make healthier food choices. In a draft regulation, the FSSAI has also proposed prohibiting advertising of HFSS food products to children in any form.
Also, a company must make a declaration on the label in case its food product has 5% or more of ingredients which are genetically engineered or genetically modified. The draft regulation also prohibits exaggerated health benefit claims on products such as packaged drinking or mineral water products and edible refined oils.
Healthier choicesÂ
Mediation centres to deal with e-commerce plaints
Relief for online shoppers
To deal with the rising number of consumer complaints against e-commerce platforms, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs plans to open mediation centres in big cities. The centres will first be opened in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad. Officials working at the mediation centres will be trained in consumer law.
About 20% of the complaints received on the national consumer helpline are related to e-commerce companies. Most of the complaints are about fake goods, wrong products, non-delivery of goods, non-payment of refunds and delay in providing services. For resolution of grievances, the helpline has partnered with about 60 e-commerce companies. The complaints received are transferred to the companies concerned.
Customer-friendly step
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