UPSC Prelims 2016 · Question 59 of 98

UPSC Prelims 2016 question on Packaged Food Label Requirements

With reference to pre-packaged items in India, it is mandatory to the manufacturer to put which of the following information on the main label, as per the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Regulations, 2011?

1. List of ingredients including additives
2. Nutrition information
3. Recommendation, if any, made by the medical profession about the possibility of any allergic reactions
4. Vegetarian/non-vegetarian

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

  1. 1, 2 and 3
  2. 2, 3 and 4
  3. 1, 2 and 4
  4. 1 and 4 only
Show answer

Answer: C. 1, 2 and 4

Verdict

The answer is 1, 2 and 4 only. Ingredients including additives, nutrition information and the vegetarian or non-vegetarian mark are mandatory; a medical allergy recommendation is not.

Analysis

Statements 1, 2 and 4 are CORRECT. The labelling regulations require the name of the food, a list of ingredients, declaration of food additives, nutritional information, net quantity, batch identification, the manufacturer's name and address, date marking and a vegetarian or non vegetarian declaration through the green or brown mark. Statement 3 is INCORRECT. Manufacturers must declare allergens where applicable, but the regulations do not require a recommendation made by the medical profession about possible allergic reactions to appear on the main label.

Source

Press commentary on food labelling and the Food Safety and Standards regulations.

How to crack it

Distinguish a factual declaration from a professional recommendation, because a label carries facts about the product while advice belongs to a doctor and cannot be a manufacturer's obligation. That single distinction eliminates statement 3 without knowing the regulations. Note also the India specific item worth remembering, the vegetarian and non vegetarian mark, which is a labelling requirement peculiar to India and therefore a favourite examinable detail.

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