Food colour coding system (traffic light system) was introduced for solid food, especially biscuits, sweetmeats and so on, from June 1, the Health Ministry Spokesman said.
He said the system was to be implemented from April 2, but was postponed to June 1 because of the delay of translating the gazette notification into the national languages by the Legal Draftsman's Department.
The new system is now in practise to protect the public from Non Communicable Diseases. If the sugar content is 22 grams per 100 grams of a food item, its colour code should be red and if the quantity is between eight and 22 grams per 100 grams, the code should be amber. The sugar content in 100 grams of a food item is less than eight grams, it should be green.
If the salt content in 100 grams of a food item is 1.25 grams, the code should be red and if it is between 0.25 grams and 1.25 grams, the code should be amber. If the salt content is less than 0.25 grams, the code should be green, he said.
The fat content of 100 grams of a food item is 17.5 grams, the code should be red and if this content is between three grams and 17.5 grams, the code should be amber. The green should be given if the fat content is less than three grams, he said.
The new traffic light system will not be applied for primary agricultural product, spices, single ingredient products, and food items that have been recommended by a medical practitioner, he said.
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