SC Seeks Clear Timeline, Pictorial Warnings for FSSAI’s Front-of-Pack Food Labels
The Supreme Court has asked the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to provide detailed clarifications on its proposed front-of-package labelling (FoPL) system for packaged foods high in sugar, salt and saturated fat, questioning the proposed implementation timeline, nutrient thresholds, label design and accessibility for India’s diverse population. The court has also asked the Centre how schools plan to improve nutritional literacy among children, turning the food-labelling debate into a wider discussion on public health, consumer awareness and unhealthy eating habits.
A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and K Vinod Chandran, hearing a plea filed by public charitable trust 3S and Our Health Society, sought answers on the proposed warning system, including its timeline, font size, placement and pictorial elements. The matter has been posted for September 28, while FSSAI has been directed to file its response within 10 days.
FSSAI has proposed a two-phase warning system. Phase I would cover products high in at least two of three specified nutrients - added saturated fat, added sugar and salt - along with specified sweetened beverages. Phase II would extend warnings to products high in any one of these nutrients. The regulator has proposed prominent red warnings and said the phased approach would improve consumer acceptability while giving manufacturers time for reformulation.
The Supreme Court, however, questioned why industry adjustment and consumer acceptance should create uncertainty over implementation. It sought a scientifically justified and clearly defined timeline between the two phases and asked FSSAI to explain how sweetened beverages would be identified and what nutrient thresholds would apply.
The bench also raised concerns over the proposal’s predominantly word-based warnings, noting that literacy, language and comprehension vary widely across India. It suggested combining words with pictorial representations of fat, sugar and salt to make warnings more accessible. The Court also asked FSSAI to reconsider font size and placement, including how labels would work as food purchases increasingly move online.
The proceedings come amid concerns over India’s growing consumption of packaged and ultra-processed foods and the burden of diet-related diseases. The ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition’s 2024 dietary guidelines advise limiting foods high in fat, sugar and salt and reducing ultra-processed food consumption.
The Court separately flagged children’s vulnerability to unhealthy eating behaviours and asked the Centre how schools could teach students to interpret nutrition information and FoPL through curricula, workshops and other initiatives.
Industry groups have sought a per-serving approach instead of FSSAI’s proposed per-100g/100ml benchmark, while health advocates have raised concerns that the two-nutrient Phase I threshold could leave some products high in a single nutrient without warnings.
India’s approach is being debated alongside international models in Chile, Mexico and Canada, where prominent front-of-pack warnings are already used. The September 28 hearing could therefore prove important in determining the final design, scope and implementation timeline of India’s proposed food-warning regime.