How to Read Food Labels: An Indian Consumer's Guide

What the Package Really Tells You

India's FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) mandates detailed labelling on all packaged foods sold in the country. Every packet of biscuits, every bottle of sauce, every bag of chips is required by law to display comprehensive information about what's inside. But most Indian consumers glance at the brand name and price, ignoring information that directly affects their health, nutrition, and value for money. Learning to read food labels takes about 30 seconds per product — and those 30 seconds can transform how you shop.

The Five Things to Always Check

1. FSSAI License Number

Every legitimate food product sold in India must display a 14-digit FSSAI license number alongside the recognisable green logo. No FSSAI number means the product hasn't been verified for safety standards — avoid it regardless of how appealing the packaging looks. You can verify any license at foscos.fssai.gov.in. This is especially important when buying from local or regional brands you haven't tried before, or products sold loose at neighbourhood shops that have been repackaged.

2. Ingredient List (Most Important)

Ingredients are listed in descending order by weight. The first ingredient is what the product contains the most of. If sugar, palm oil, or maida (refined flour) is the first or second ingredient in a product marketed as "healthy" — a cereal, a protein bar, a "digestive" biscuit — it's essentially junk food in disguise. Watch for hidden sugars listed under different names:

• High-fructose corn syrup, maltodextrin, dextrose — all forms of added sugar
• "Evaporated cane juice" — a fancy name for sugar
• Invert sugar syrup — common in Indian sweets and beverages
• "Natural flavouring" — can include MSG and other additives

A useful rule: if the ingredient list contains more than 10-12 items, or includes words you can't pronounce, the product is heavily processed.

3. Nutritional Information Per Serving

Pay close attention to serving size — this is where manufacturers play their biggest tricks. A packet of chips might list 150 calories, but that's per 30g serving, and the packet contains 90g (three servings). The real calorie count for eating the whole pack is 450. Key numbers to watch:

• Sodium — Keep under 2,000mg/day total. One instant noodle packet often contains 800-1,200mg — half your daily limit in one snack. Pickles, papads, and packaged chutneys are also sodium bombs
• Trans fats — Should be 0g. However, Indian labelling law allows "0g trans fat" labels even when the product contains up to 0.2g per serving. If the ingredient list mentions "partially hydrogenated vegetable oil," there are trans fats present regardless of what the nutrition table says
• Added sugars — WHO recommends under 25g/day for adults. A single 350ml cola has 35g. A "fruit juice" tetrapack can have 28g. Even savoury items like ketchup contain 4-5g of sugar per tablespoon
• Protein — Anything marketed as "high protein" should have at least 10g per serving. Many products use the protein claim liberally while delivering only 3-4g

4. Date Markings

"Best before" means quality (taste, texture, nutritional value) may decrease after this date, but the product is generally still safe to consume. "Use by" means do not consume after this date — there's a genuine safety risk. Many Indian consumers throw away perfectly good food because they confuse the two. Dry staples like biscuits, chips, and namkeen past their "best before" date may taste slightly stale but won't make you sick. Dairy products past their "use by" date should always be discarded.

5. Allergen Declarations

FSSAI mandates declaration of common allergens: milk, tree nuts, peanuts, gluten, soy, eggs, fish, and crustaceans. If you or your family members have food allergies, this section is critical — and it's usually printed in bold or in a separate "contains" box near the ingredient list. Cross-contamination warnings ("may contain traces of nuts") are also important for people with severe allergies.

The Veg/Non-Veg Symbol

India's unique green dot (vegetarian) and brown dot (non-vegetarian) symbol system is the world's simplest and most effective dietary indicator. Always check — some products surprise you. Certain cheese brands use animal-derived rennet (brown dot). Some seemingly vegetarian breads contain L-cysteine derived from poultry feathers. Worcester sauce, some vinegars, and gelatin-containing sweets carry the brown dot despite no obvious meat content.

Teaching children to read food labels is one of the most valuable health habits you can instil. A 10-year-old who knows to check sugar content will make better food choices for life.

Spend 30 seconds reading labels on your next shopping trip. Flip the packet, ignore the marketing on the front, and read the fine print on the back. Your health is worth that half-minute investment — and over a lifetime, it could be worth far more.