ICMR Shares Dietary Guidelines, Recommends To Pay Attention To These Symbols On Food Packages – News18

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on May 9 released dietary guidelines for Indians. ICMR shared the guidelines through a post on X (formerly Twitter), explaining the crucial nutritional intake that should be taken care of. The guideline began with ICMR explaining the level of nutritional value that one must intake. It noted that Indians must consume 100 grams of fruits, 85 grams of pulses, eggs and flesh foods, 35 grams of nuts and seeds, 27 grams of fats and oils, 250 grams of cereals, 400 grams of vegetables and 300 ml of milk and curd.

Continuing further, ICMR shared seventeen guidelines, beginning with asking individuals to consume a “variety of foods” that ensures a “balanced diet.” The last guideline by ICMR stated, “Read information on food labels to make informed and healthy food choices.”

Detailing the same, the ICMR explained that nowadays most of the food items are available in the pre-packaged form. Therefore, it is extremely crucial to learn what is inside the package. Further explaining why is it crucial to read the label, ICMR said, “Food labels display the name of the food, a list of the ingredients, the net weight, brand name, name and address of the manufacturer, date of manufacture, use-by/expiry dates, storage instructions, allergen declaration and shelf-life of the food.”

The medical body also revealed that as per the Indian regulation, the declaration of nutrient information is mandatory. In addition, these ingredient declarations are mentioned in “descending order with the ingredient that is highest in quantity appearing first.”

Talking about the logos mentioned on the back of any package, ICMR said that if you see the FSSAI logo along with a license number, then that “indicates that the manufacturer is licensed by the regulator.”

We all have at least once spotted a green dot inside a green square. Well, in case you don’t know, that is an indication of vegetarian food. In addition, “a brown triangle in a brown square indicates non-vegetarian [at least one ingredient is from an animal source (including egg but not milk)].”

It is very crucial to keep an eye on the logo for fortified food. If you don’t know, fortified food basically “means essential nutrients” like “vitamins and minerals have been added to the food.” It is worth noting that if an individual is “consuming fortified wheat flour, rice, milk, oil, and salt” then it is aiding the body “to meet the deficit in daily requirements for specific nutrients.”