Centre tells SC it is open to tougher labels on packaged foods high in sugar, salt or fat
The Centre informed the Supreme Court that it is open to introducing tougher front-of-pack warning labels on packaged foods that are high in added sugar, salt, or saturated fat.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had earlier proposed a two-phase labelling system, under which a red warning symbol would apply only if a product exceeded the prescribed limit in at least two of the three nutrient categories, with stricter single-nutrient thresholds to follow in a later phase.
The proposal has been under judicial scrutiny in a pending case, with petitioners arguing that a product high in even a single nutrient of concern should carry a warning, rather than requiring two or more thresholds to be breached.
The matter reflects an ongoing regulatory process to finalize a mandatory front-of-pack labelling (FOPL) regime for packaged foods in India.
FSSAI — Statutory Basis and Mandate
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is the apex regulatory body for food safety standards in the country, and front-of-pack labelling falls within its regulation-making power.
The red-label warning proposal being debated before the Supreme Court is a draft regulation FSSAI is empowered to notify under its Act-derived rule-making authority.
Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020
The current legal framework governing food labelling in India is a 2020 regulation that consolidated and superseded earlier packaging and labelling rules.
Key Details
- The Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020 supersede the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Regulations, 2011, and prescribe mandatory declarations (ingredients, nutritional information, allergens, date of manufacture/expiry) on pre-packaged food.
- A dedicated front-of-pack warning label regime — such as the red-symbol proposal — would be introduced as an amendment or addition to this existing labelling framework, since the base regulations do not currently mandate a prominent front-of-pack nutrient warning.
- FSSAI's proposed design uses a red hexagonal symbol carrying warnings such as "High Sugar," "High Salt," "High Fat," or "Highly Sweetened Beverage," to be displayed in a font size at least one point larger than the nutrition table already required on the back of the pack.
The dispute before the Supreme Court is essentially over how this labelling framework should be amended — specifically, whether the trigger for a warning should require crossing thresholds in a single nutrient or in two-or-more nutrients simultaneously.
The Pending Supreme Court Case and the "Two-or-More" Trigger Dispute
The case testing FSSAI's proposed labelling design is a public interest litigation matter before the Supreme Court.
Key Details
- The petition (filed by an NGO working on food and health issues) has challenged FSSAI's original proposal to trigger a red warning label only when a product crosses the prescribed limit in at least two of three nutrient categories (added sugar, salt, saturated fat), arguing this understates risk for foods extremely high in just one nutrient.
- The Supreme Court has sought clarity from FSSAI on the scientific basis for its "two-or-more" nutrient threshold approach.
- In response, the Centre/FSSAI indicated openness to considering warning labels triggered by a single nutrient of concern crossing the threshold, rather than requiring two or more — a shift from its original two-phase plan.
This is the specific issue the news article addresses — the Centre's submission to the Court signals a possible move away from the original two-nutrient threshold design toward a stricter single-nutrient trigger.
Comparative Global Practice — Chile's Front-of-Pack Warning Law
Front-of-pack warning labelling is a globally recognized public health tool, and India's proposal is frequently compared to Chile's pioneering model.
Key Details
- Chile's Law of Food Labeling and Advertising (2016) was the first national law to mandate black octagonal "High in..." warning labels (for calories, sugar, saturated fat, sodium) on the front of packaged food, alongside marketing restrictions and school sales bans.
- Chile's warning label is triggered by a single nutrient crossing threshold — i.e., a "high in even one" nutrient approach, distinct from FSSAI's originally proposed "two-or-more" trigger.
- Studies have linked Chile's law to measurable declines in purchases of sugar-sweetened beverages and other targeted products, making it a frequently cited precedent in India's own FOPL policy debate.
Petitioners before the Supreme Court have invoked international precedents like Chile's single-nutrient trigger model to argue that FSSAI's original two-nutrient threshold sets too high a bar for consumer protection.
- FSSAI established under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006; operational from around 2008-2011.
- Current labelling framework: Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020 (superseded the 2011 Packaging and Labelling Regulations).
- FSSAI's original proposal: red warning symbol triggered when a product crosses limits in at least two of three categories (added sugar, salt, saturated fat), with stricter single-nutrient rules planned for a later phase.
- Comparative precedent: Chile's 2016 Law of Food Labeling and Advertising — black octagon "High in..." labels, single-nutrient trigger, first of its kind globally.
- The matter is being heard as a pending public interest litigation before the Supreme Court concerning FSSAI's front-of-pack labelling design.