BPOM approves Nutri-Level to control excessive GGL consumption and prevent diseases

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The National Agency of Drug and Food Control supports the government in controlling non-communicable diseases (NCDs) through limiting consumption of sugar, salt, and fat (GGL) by signing the Draft Revision of the BPOM Regulation on Nutritional Information Labelling for Processed Foods.

“Nutri-Level is a nutritional labelling system that will be implemented in Indonesia to help the public choose healthier food products,” said BPOM Head Taruna Ikrar in Jakarta on Monday.

He mentioned that the draft revision signed today adds provisions regarding the inclusion of Nutri-Level on the front-of-pack nutritional labelling. Nutri-Level indicates the level of processed food based on GGL content, marked with letters A to D, followed by colour indicators showing the GGL levels.

Indicator A in dark green means lower GGL content, B in light green means low GGL content, C in yellow means it should be consumed wisely, and D in red means it should be limited according to needs or health conditions.

Likewise, for business actors, the Nutri-Level policy is not intended to restrict businesses in producing and distributing processed foods.

“It is hoped that this policy can be utilised by business actors as a business opportunity, to become pioneers in creating a trend of consuming healthier processed foods,” he said.

He assured that the preparation of the regulation revision was carried out by applying the principles of good regulatory practices (GRP). This draft regulation has also gone through stages of public consultation involving various stakeholders, including ministries/agencies, professional organisations, civil society organisations, business actors, and business associations.

The inclusion of Nutri-Level on processed foods is planned to be implemented gradually, with the initial target being beverage products. This policy will be applied voluntarily with a transition period before becoming mandatory, to give businesses time to adapt to implementing this policy.

His side is committed to continuing to listen to input, evaluate implementation, and ensure that the implementation of the Nutri-Level policy runs proportionately and beneficially for all parties. BPOM will also continue to consider the needs of business actors, who are strategic partners in realising a healthier food environment.