Do you know that a packet of instant noodles has over 60 per cent of your recommended daily salt intake or that a Happy Meal contains 90 per cent of your child's daily requirement of trans fats? Consumers are usually unaware of such facts since most companies in India don't bother to put such information on their labels. But a consumer has the right to know all these facts so that he or she can make an informed choice.

If one is to believe a recent study carried out by Delhi-based public interest research organisation, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), many leading national and international brands as well as food chains may be misinforming customers or, worse, misbranding their products, sending wrong impressions about the products.

Last month, CSE carried out tests on food items of 16 leading brands, including some products of Kentucky Fried Chicken, Happy Meals of McDonald's, instant noodles such as Maggi and Top Ramen, Pepsico's Lays Chips and Haldiram's Aloo Bhujia. The results they came up with were alarming. “The products we tested contain either very high levels of sugar or salt and trans fats that can have a devastating effect on a consumer's health, especially on kids,” says Souparno Banerjee, programme director, media, CSE. Trans fats are found in hydrogenated vegetable oils such as vanaspati. “But what is worse is that labels, in most cases, have either no mention of these ingredients or give wrong data on the percentage content of ingredients such as fatty acids, cholesterol, sugar or salt in their products,” he added.

“Trans fats get deposited on the walls of arteries, making them narrower or clogging them. When trans fats combine with large amounts of salt that usually packaged foods under the scanner contain, the heart is exposed to greater risk from increased blood pressure,” warns Calcutta-based family physician Kanchan Gurtu.

But brushing aside the CSE claim, leading corporate food giants say the study is making an issue out of a non-issue. Says Himangshu Manglik, communications manager of Nestlé India, whose product Maggi Noodles is listed under CSE results, “The level of trans fats in Maggi is below 0.2 per cent, which is well within the recommendations of Indian Council of Medical Research, a premier government body. If the percentage is below 0.2, there is no need to mention it on the label as per food safety department's rules. So how can you say that we are misleading consumers and where is the wrong information on the label,” he asks. “Food provides pleasure when eaten with balance and understanding and Maggi Noodles is a good light meal that all members of the family can enjoy as part of a diversified, balanced diet,” he adds.

And it is true that the food items put to the test by the CSE are not usually a part of the regular diet. 'They are primarily junk or pleasure foods,' points out Gurtu.

US-based nutritionist S.R. Vaid feels if one has any kind of food - including junk food such as chips, colas and burgers — in moderation, they can cause little harm. “What about common snacks such as samosa and french fries that most Indian households gorge on? Do we ever ask what is their trans fatty or salt content? And anyway, a consumer should know he cannot survive on a diet of instant noodles or KFC chicken or similar stuff. Such pleasure foods should be taken within limits and cannot be part of a balanced diet.”

However, city-based consumer activist Ranita Ray points out a consumer has a right to know what they are eating, even if the item falls in the junk food category. “Giving no information about ingredients on the label is equivalent to wrong information. Suppose, a product has trans fats or cholesterol even in a miniscule proportion, and the pack doesn’t mention it, isn't then a consumer misinformed about the product?”

Food companies, however, maintain that they strongly adhere to food safety norms and regulations and it is not possible to mention each and every ingredients’ content, specially when they are present in tiny amounts and well below the danger mark.

The CSE results also claim some companies are giving wrong information. Top Ramen Super Noodles (Masala), which claims to have no trans fats, contains 0.7 gram of it per 100 gram. Similarly, Haldiram’s Aloo Bhujia says it has no trans fats, but the study found 2.5 gram per 100 gram. “PepsiCo’s Lays (Snack Smart) was sold till February 2012 through huge advertisements that said that these chips are healthy because they have zero trans fats, but results show every 100 grams of it has around 3.7 grams of trans fats. PepsiCo’s ad claim was later removed,” says the report.

But Pepsico holds its products under the Lays, Uncle Chips, Kurkure and Cheetos brands are all trans-fat free. And McDonald’s official who did not want to be named asserts, “In India we take a lot of effort to ensure our food is safe for our customers and have stringent quality control. We use RBD palmolein oil, which is naturally trans-fat free, in our foods.”

Can consumers take action if they are misled by wrong label information? Says consumer rights lawyer Prasanta Bishal, “Misinformation or misbranding is a criminal offence. A consumer can take companies to the Consumer Redressal Forum comparing the data of the CSE results with the one written on the labels and ask for compensation. The complaint should have a medical certificate attached if possible, especially in the case of consumers who are suffering from obesity and diseases such as diabetes, and thus are the high risk group for whom such ingredients can have a very ill effect.”

The companies claim that they are constantly upgrading their products, so as to reduce the levels of unwanted ingredients. 'We have been improving the nutritional profile of Maggi Noodles, reducing salt and trans fatty acids, and adding essential nutrients. It does not contain any added mono sodium glutamate and is now a source of protein, calcium or fibre specially the Vegetable Atta noodles, or Multigrain noodles or Iron fortified Dumdaar noodles,' adds Manglik.

Whatever the companies claim, consumers should try and adhere to World Health Organisation recommendations of an adult male having 2.6 gram of trans fats per day, an adult female 2.1 gram and a child 2.3 gram. So the next time you gorge on junk food, be careful even if the label says “No cholesterol, no trans fats and no added sugar or salt.”