Wrong labelling of veg items hurt religious sentiments: HC

One-liner: Use of non-vegetarian ingredients and labelling them vegetarian would offend religious and cultural sentiments of strict vegetarians and interfere in their right to freely profess their religion, the Delhi High Court has said.

Right to know: The court observed that everyone has a right to know what they are consuming and nothing can be offered to them on a platter by resorting to deceit and camouflage.

• The court's order came while hearing a plea for labelling all items used by the public, including home appliances and apparel, as vegetarian or non-vegetarian on the basis of their ingredients used in the manufacturing process
• A bench said the failure of the authorities in checking such lapses is leading to not only non-compliance of the Food Safety and Standards Act but also leading to deceit by such food business operators

Verify claims: The court directed the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to verify claims made by the food business operators and expose them to claims by the aggrieved parties and prosecution under the law.

• The court said a Google search showed that an ingredient is often sourced from pig fat and even though it is a food additive, yet the food business operators do not disclose in their packaging the ingredient used is a non-veg item

Need to know: The plea was filed by Ram Gaua Raksha Dal, a trust working for the welfare of cows, which claimed that there are certain non-veg items that are consumed by those professing vegetarianism due to the absence of proper disclosures.

Source: PTI