Hard-handed Indian official urges food firms to be ethical amid labelling, ingredients row

Business Recorder reported that Tukaram Mundhe, Food Commissioner of India's Maharashtra state, has urged food companies to act ethically and stop keeping different nutrition standards at home and abroad. His comments followed a Reuters report which found that companies produce differing variants of identical goods to suit local rules, tastes and purchasing power. Citing London's Fanta, which has 63 calories, he pointed out that the Indian version of the same volume has triple the sugar and 185 calories.

Speaking to Reuters on Friday, Mundhe said firms must go beyond legal compliance and practise ethical conduct, questioning why standards differ. He stressed that companies owe responsibilities to society. Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Nestle, major players in an Indian food and drinks market worth over $100 billion, had no immediate reply to the remarks.

The debate also touches on front-of-pack warning labels. Reuters reported that Coca-Cola and industry groups representing Nestle and PepsiCo successfully lobbied against India's planned warnings, although those firms print such labels voluntarily in several European markets. Mundhe rejected the view that doctors already guide patients, arguing on LinkedIn that prevention cannot hinge on illness. Nestle's global chief executive has asked India to consult manufacturers when drafting labelling rules.