BPOM: Initial Stage of Nutri Level Labelling Applied to Beverage Products
Jakarta – The National Agency of Drug and Food Control (BPOM) states that in the initial stage, the inclusion of nutritional labelling or Nutri Level will be implemented on beverage products first, and gradually expanded to other products.
“Because according to data from public testing and what we see, the majority of excess sugar and excess fat are in sweetened beverages,” said BPOM Head Taruna Ikrar in Jakarta on Tuesday, during the launch of the nutritional labelling policy.
He mentioned that this is being done gradually considering the large number of food business actors in Indonesia, namely 1.7 million industries.
During the transitional or educational period about the policy to business actors, he said, in addition to providing nutritional labelling, they also provide a healthy food mark as a reward for business actors who comply with the provisions.
Several other rewards given if they meet the requirements, he said, for example, permits that are granted faster. According to him, with the healthy food stamp, people will prefer that product.
Taruna stated that Nutri Level is based on Health Law Number 17 of 2023. Providing nutritional labelling on products is an effort to protect the Indonesian people from diseases with the highest health burdens, such as stroke, heart disease, kidney disease, and so on, through public education.
“And that can be prevented if sugar, salt, and fat intake is according to the portions. So it’s better to prevent than to treat,” he said.
He explained that 73 percent of deaths in Indonesia are caused by non-infectious diseases, while the global average is 70 percent.
On the same occasion, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said that currently this policy is still in the form of an appeal and not yet mandatory. There is a transitional period of around 1-2 years, he said.
His side and BPOM will monitor the implementation of the policy according to their respective authorities. The Ministry of Health through its health offices will monitor in large restaurants and those with many branches.
As for the Nutri Level, there are four labels, namely dark green A for sugar, salt, and fat (GGL) levels that meet the portions, light green B, yellow C, and red D for high GGL levels.