Check the First Three Ingredients
The front of the pack is marketing; the back is regulation. FSSAI mandates that ingredients be listed in descending order by weight. This means the first three ingredients make up the bulk of what you're eating. If sugar (or one of its many aliases),
refined flour (maida), or palm oil are at the top of the list, you know what the product is truly made of, regardless of health claims like "high fibre" or "natural" on the front. This single check is often the most revealing.
Hunt for Hidden Sugars
Sugar isn't always listed as 'sugar'. Food companies often use multiple types of sweeteners to prevent any single one from appearing too high on the ingredients list. Be on the lookout for names like glucose syrup, fructose, corn syrup, dextrose, maltodextrin, and fruit juice concentrate. If you spot two or three of these in the ingredients, it's a red flag that the product is likely higher in sugar than you think, even if the front claims it's healthy.
Use the 'Per 100g' Column for Comparisons
Serving sizes can be misleading. A brand might list the nutrition for a tiny serving of just two biscuits, when most people would eat more. FSSAI rules require labels to show nutritional values per 100g/100ml and per serving. To honestly compare two different brands of snacks, sauces, or cereals, always use the 'per 100g' column. This gives you a like-for-like comparison of sugar, fat, and salt content, cutting through any confusing serving size tricks.
Distinguish 'Multigrain' from 'Whole Wheat'
'Multigrain' simply means a product contains more than one type of grain; it doesn't guarantee those grains are whole. A 'multigrain' bread could be made mostly of refined flour (maida) with small amounts of other grains added. For a healthier choice, look for the term 'whole wheat' or '100% whole grain' as the first ingredient. Under FSSAI norms for bread, 'whole wheat bread' must contain at least 75% whole wheat flour, giving you a better nutritional guarantee.
Spot the FSSAI Logo and License Number
This is a basic check for legitimacy. Every legally sold packaged food product in India must have the FSSAI logo and a 14-digit license number printed on the label. This confirms the manufacturer is registered and accountable to the food safety authority. A missing or suspicious-looking license number is a major red flag, especially on informally packaged goods. It's a quick visual check that ensures the product meets basic safety and regulatory standards.
Understand Veg/Non-Veg Symbols
A simple but crucial check for many Indian households is the mandatory vegetarian and non-vegetarian symbol. A green circle inside a green square indicates a vegetarian product. A brown circle inside a brown square signifies that the product contains non-vegetarian ingredients, including egg. This clear, colour-coded system allows shoppers to identify a product's dietary suitability in a single glance, without having to read the entire ingredient list.
Look for Trans Fat Information
Industrially produced trans fats are linked to an increased risk of heart disease. On Indian labels, you can spot them in the ingredients list as 'partially hydrogenated oils' or 'vegetable shortening'. A product can claim to be 'trans-fat free' only if it contains less than 0.2 grams of trans fat per 100g of food. Checking for this claim or scanning the ingredients for hydrogenated oils is a fast way to avoid one of the unhealthiest types of fat.
