The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has informed the Supreme Court that it plans to introduce front-of-package labelling (FoPL) on packaged foodproducts. The labels will alert consumers about high levels of sugar, fat, salt and other potentially harmful substances. A bench comprising Justice J.B. Pardiwala and Justice K. Vinod Chandran took the FSSAI’s sworn affidavit on record and directed that the matter be listed for further consideration after 10 days.
As per the affidavit filed on August 28, the FSSAI has prepared a proposal to display information about added sugar, fat and salt on food packaging through pictorial labels.
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“It is proposed to provide a prominent front-of-pack warning label in a red-coloured hexagonal shape for food products which are high in any two or more of the following nutrients of concern, namely added saturated fat, added sugar and salt, based on the thresholds specified under the Dietary Guidelines for Indians, 2024,” the affidavit stated.
“The warning label shall indicate the applicable declaration(s) such as ‘HIGH FAT’, ‘HIGH SUGAR’, ‘HIGH SALT’ and/or ‘HIGHLY SWEETENED BEVERAGE’ as the case may be, to enable consumers to readily identify products high in the specified nutrients. The warning shall be displayed in a font size one point larger than that used in the nutrition information table on the back of the pack,” it added.
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Single-ingredient products that are naturally high in fat, sugar or salt, including ghee, edible oil, salt, sugar, jaggery and honey, are proposed to be kept outside the scope of the FoPL warning requirement.
The bench has suggested modifying the proposed red hexagonal warning label, observing that consumers could mistake it for a symbol indicating “non-vegetarian” products.
The Supreme Court was hearing a PIL filed by NGO 3S and Our Health, seeking directions for the government to make front-of-package labelling mandatory on packaged food products.
Initially, the Centre and FSSAI had been reluctant to introduce FoPL, arguing that international standards may not be feasible for a country like India.
