How we score

One rubric, every pack

Every label starts from the same base and moves on what the nutrition table says per 100 g. The same bands, applied the same way, for everyone.

The five bands

  • Great choice80–100

    Little works against it.

  • Okay in moderation60–79

    Fine in usual amounts.

  • Think twice40–59

    Less often, not never.

  • Eat less often20–39

    Fine now and then.

  • Avoid regularlyBelow 20

    Rarely, not regularly.

Where our references stop

India’s infant-food rules run up to 24 months. A pack marketed for 2 years and above is scored like any other packaged food, because the Act and the regulations stop at 24 months. A pack marketed for younger than that is not scored.

Moves a score down

  • SugarICMR-NIN, per 100 g
  • SodiumFSSAI 2,000 mg a day
  • Saturated fatPer 100 g

Moves it up

  • FibrePer 100 g
  • ProteinPer 100 g

Sugar and sodium are weighed against a published daily reference; the rest move the score on the same per-100 g scale. Every verdict shows the exact points. Vitamins and minerals never move it.

Rubric versionOn every verdict

Every verdict carries the version that produced it. Nothing you saved is re-scored when we tune the rubric.