New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday pulled up the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) over its reluctance to introduce warning labels on packaged foods high in sugar, salt and saturated fat, questioning whether the regulator was being influenced by the food manufacturing industry.
Hearing a public interest litigation on front-of-package labelling (FOPL), a bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and K Vinod Chandran directed FSSAI to reconsider its current proposal within two weeks, observing that its February 10 order advocating warning labels was not merely advisory.
Instead of warning symbols, FSSAI has proposed displaying recommended daily intake limits for added sugar, saturated fat and salt in pictorial form, based on the 2024 ICMR-NIN Dietary Guidelines. The regulator argued that the approach would inform consumers without creating unnecessary alarm.
The court, however, questioned the regulator’s reliance on feedback from industry stakeholders, most of whom opposed warning labels during a consultation held in March. It remarked that if FSSAI failed to act, the court could consider issuing its own directions.
Appearing for the petitioner, Advocate Rajiv Shankar Dvivedi argued that numerical nutrition information requires consumers to calculate whether a product exceeds recommended limits, making it less effective than simple warning labels or colour-coded symbols, particularly in a country with varying levels of health literacy.
Representing FSSAI, Additional Solicitor General Brijender Chahar submitted that international warning-label models could not be adopted without considering India’s distinct dietary patterns. The bench was unconvinced, observing that different eating habits could not justify weaker consumer health protections.
The court reiterated that the issue extends beyond nutritional disclosure and is fundamentally one of public health, with Justice Pardiwala highlighting the need to protect children by enabling informed food choices at the point of purchase.
