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. Recommendations, 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.
Correct Answer: Option C
Explanation
1. The Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Regulations, 2011, issued by FSSAI, specify mandatory labelling information for pre-packaged items in India.
2. Statement 1 is correct. The regulations mandate the declaration of a list of ingredients used in the product, including food additives, in descending order of their composition by weight or volume.
3. Statement 2 is correct. Nutrition information (nutritional facts per 100g or 100ml or per serving) is mandatory on the label for most pre-packaged foods, covering energy value, protein, carbohydrate (specify quantity of sugar), fat, etc.
4. Statement 3 is incorrect. While the regulations require declaration of specific substances that can cause hypersensitivity (potential allergens), they do not mandate recommendations made by the medical profession regarding allergic reactions to be put on the label.
5. Statement 4 is correct. It is mandatory to display a symbol indicating whether the food is Vegetarian (green dot in a square) or Non-Vegetarian (brown dot in a square).
6. Therefore, the mandatory information includes the list of ingredients, nutrition information, and the vegetarian/non-vegetarian symbol (1, 2, and 4).
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