2016 GS Paper I, all questions

UPSC Prelims 2016 · GS Paper I

Question 34: Polity and Governance

With reference to pre-packaged items in India, it is mandatory to the manufacturer to put which of the following information on the main label, as per the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Regulations, 2011?

  1. 1.List of ingredients including additives
  2. 2.Nutrition information
  3. 3.Recommendations, if any, made by the medical profession about the possibility of any allergic reactions
  4. 4.Vegetarian/non-vegetarian

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

a1, 2 and 3
b2, 3 and 4
c1, 2 and 4
d1 and 4 only

AnswerUPSC’s answer is (c).

Under the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Regulations, 2011, the label of a pre-packaged food must carry the list of ingredients including additives, nutrition information and the vegetarian or non-vegetarian mark, along with the name of the food, net quantity, the manufacturer's details and date marking. A recommendation by the medical profession about allergic reactions is not a mandatory label item.

  • 1. The list of ingredients including additives is mandatory.
  • 2. Nutrition information is mandatory.
  • 3. Medical recommendations on allergic reactions are not a required label item.
  • 4. The vegetarian or non-vegetarian mark is mandatory.

How you could have got this

  1. If you were sure statement 2 is correct, (d) goes: it leaves 2 out.

    What you needed to know: Nutrition information is mandatory.

  2. Then, if you were sure statement 3 is not correct, (a) and (b) go: each of them includes 3.

    What you needed to know: Medical recommendations on allergic reactions are not a required label item.

Only (c) is left. You didn’t need statements 1 or 4.

Which options go is worked out from UPSC’s key and the options, not by a model.

Why each option is right or wrong
  • (a) Statement 3 is not a mandatory label requirement.
  • (b) Statement 3 is not required, and this leaves out the ingredient list.
  • (c) Right: ingredients, nutrition information and the veg/non-veg mark are mandatory.
  • (d) The nutrition information is also mandatory, so '1 and 4 only' is incomplete.

Worth knowing: These 2011 regulations have since been replaced by the Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020.

Answer: UPSC’s key. Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.

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Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2016, General Studies Paper I, Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.