The difference in the formulation of popular packaged food and beverage products sold in India and overseas has once again come under scrutiny, with a food safety expert explaining why Fanta sold in the UK can contain significantly less sugar than the version available in India.
Urvashi Agarwal, Food Safety Educator, said the difference cannot be viewed only through the lens of the ingredients used by manufacturers. She pointed to differences in regulatory environments, particularly the UK's tax on sugary drinks, as an important factor influencing product formulation.
“When we talk about Fanta in the UK vis-a-vis Fanta in India, and we talk about sugar, we should not only talk about sugar as an ingredient,” Agarwal said.
She explained that the UK's soft drinks industry levy creates a financial incentive for manufacturers to reduce the amount of sugar in their beverages.
“In the UK, there is cold drink tax. So the manufacturer, the more sugar the manufacturer puts in the cold drink, the more tax he pays. So there is a financial incentive for the manufacturer to put less sugar, which is not there in India,” she said.
Fanta sold in India has reportedly been found to contain around three times the sugar content of its UK counterpart, along with an artificial colourant that is disclosed in the product's fine print. The comparison has sparked debate over whether Indian consumers receive products with different nutritional compositions compared with consumers in countries such as the UK and Australia.
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“There are brands who are coming up with better ingredients and cleaner labels. But can people really afford it? There is a larger chunk of people who cannot afford it,” she said.
The debate extends beyond soft drinks.
Maggi sold in India uses palm oil, while some India-made Maggi products exported to the UK carry front-of-pack warnings highlighting high salt content. Similarly, differences have been highlighted in the formulation of KitKat sold in India and Australia, including cocoa content.
Importantly, such differences do not automatically mean that the products are illegal in India. Products sold in the country must comply with Indian food safety and labelling regulations. The larger question, however, is whether India's regulatory framework provides consumers with enough information to make informed choices.
The debate comes as India's food labelling regulations face renewed scrutiny. The Supreme Court has asked the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to examine stronger front-of-pack warning labels, which would make information about high levels of sugar, salt and fat more visible to consumers.
At present, consumers may need to examine nutritional information and ingredient lists to understand the composition of packaged products. Front-of-pack warnings could change that by making key nutritional information immediately visible when consumers pick up a product.
The food industry has opposed such measures, arguing that warning labels could influence consumer perception and sales.
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