Assessment of knowledge Vis-à-vis Food Labels

Abstract

Background: Public health initiatives focused on improving food at the community level to reduce the risk of nutritionrelated
disorders
have
gained
pace
in
light
of
the
enormous
illness
burden
associated
with
chronic
diseases
connected
to

nutrition.
Delivering
straightforward,
pertinent,
and
understandable
information
regarding
the
nutritional
value
of
food
is

the
goal
of
Front
of
Package
Labelling
(FoPLs),
which
are
intended
to
assist
consumers
in
choosing
healthier
foods
at
the

point
of
purchase.
Methodology:
It
was
a
cross-sectional
study
carried
out
online
through
a
series
of
webinars
using
an

online

survey platform and a feedback-designed questionnaire to ascertain webinar participants' knowledge of front of
package labeling. Results: Among the participants, only 75.4% correctly identified the characteristics of packaged foods
that increase the risk of obesity. Also, it was found that 84.7% of the participants knew that food labels had to display
complete nutritional information. About 93.6 percent of the individuals were aware of public health initiatives that raise
awareness of FOPL. Only 38.9% of the individuals were aware that certain food products were free from labelling, in
comparison. Conclusion: Front of package labelling (FOPL) regulation goals must be adopted in order to enable
consumers to simply, quickly, and accurately identify items containing extra sugars, trans-fats, oils, and sodium. This will
help the Government of India comply with WHO recommendations on unhealthy foods.