The Protein Foods and Nutrition Development Association of India (PFNDAI) has conducted a webinar on Connecting Responsibility with Consumers. The seminar was focussed on Advertising and Claims Regulations: Bridging the gap between industry and consumers.

Zafar Khan, head, scientific affairs and regulatory affairs, Mondelez International, spoke about advertisement/claim, why advertisement needed: business objective, claim entry and impact, validations of impact of claims and regulatory framework.

Speaking about the importance of advertising, he said, “Awareness about the existing product and launch of a new product ensures that the right product information reaches the customer. Brand awareness also plays an important role as people should be aware about the brand and development. Advertising also helps in building brand loyalty and helps in increasing sales.’’

Dr Jasvir Singh, regulatory, scientific and government affairs leader- South Asia, DuPont Nutrition andBiosciences, spoke about Claims- A landscape of controversies. He explained about sceptics view, wherein it is a mere marketing gimmick used by food companies. Another point he brought out was the claims which have potential to contribute to the achievement of public health objectives.

He explained about the responsible claims- Guidance in FSS Act, 2006. Section 23 of the Act,c“Packaging and labelling of foods in which labels shall not contain any statement, claim, design or device which is false or misleading in any particular concerning the food products contained in the package or concerning the quality or the nutritive value implying medicinal or therapeutic claims or in relation to the place of origin of the said food products.’’

While explaining about the claims strategy, he said, “Everyone looks at it from a perspective of their domain expertise. Only a package in which, all the right boxes succeed. Credibility of the message and messenger both matter. Design is as important as execution. A truthful message is at the base of every claim.’’