Supreme Court questions FSSAI delay on food warning labels: Why high sugar, salt and fat foods are in focus
PTC Web Desk: The Supreme Court has questioned the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) over the delay in making front-of-pack warning labels (FoPL) mandatory on packaged foods that contain high levels of salt, sugar and fat.
A Bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and K Vinod Chandran on Thursday asked the food regulator why such warnings could not have been made mandatory from the outset. The court also sought clarity on what the FSSAI meant by a “reasonable period” for implementing the proposed labelling system.
The Bench questioned the need for a two-stage rollout suggested by the FSSAI and sought an explanation for the proposed timeline.
The issue came up during the hearing of a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking mandatory front-of-pack warning labels on packaged food products.
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Supreme Court focuses on children's health
During the hearing, the Bench referred to the UNICEF Child Nutrition Report 2025 while raising concerns about increasing rates of overweight and obesity among school-age children and adolescents.
The court also highlighted the difference between food available inside schools and what children can buy around school premises. It noted that nearly 80% of food and beverages available within schools are freshly prepared meals, while close to 80% of the food sold around schools consists of packaged snacks.
“We are only concerned about the health of people, especially growing children. We want all the concerned to consider the cause in national interest,” the Bench observed.
The Supreme Court has given the Centre 10 days to file its response.
Court asks Centre about nutritional education in schools
The court also called on the government to consider introducing nutritional education as part of school curricula.
The Centre has been asked to explain how schools could promote nutritional awareness through classroom teaching, programmes and workshops.
The court further sought details on how consumers, particularly students and families, should understand the information printed on packaged food, including nutritional details and the proposed Front-of-Pack Labelling (FoPL).
SC questions proposed red hexagon warning
The Bench also raised a concern about the proposed design of the warning label.
The FSSAI has suggested using a red-coloured hexagon on the front of packages to alert consumers about products high in specified nutrients. However, the Supreme Court observed that the shape could potentially confuse consumers because of its similarity to the existing symbol used to identify non-vegetarian food.
The matter has been listed for further hearing on September 28.
What is FSSAI's proposed front-of-pack warning label?
The FSSAI had earlier informed the Supreme Court that it was considering a prominent red warning label for packaged foods containing high levels of added saturated fat, added sugar and salt.
In its compliance affidavit, the regulator said the purpose of the proposed system was to give consumers a simple and easily understandable warning about products containing high amounts of nutrients considered a health concern.
Under the proposal, a red hexagonal warning would appear on products that are high in any two or more of the specified nutrients, added saturated fat, added sugar and salt.
The thresholds would be based on the Dietary Guidelines for Indians, 2024, issued by the ICMR-NIN.
Depending on the product, the label could carry declarations such as “High Fat”, “High Sugar”, “High Salt” and/or “Highly Sweetened Beverage”.
The objective is to allow consumers to identify products containing high levels of these nutrients without having to study the entire nutritional information panel.
The FSSAI submitted the affidavit in compliance with the Supreme Court's August 13 order in the ongoing PIL.
The petition seeks directions to the Centre, states and Union territories to introduce mandatory front-of-pack warning labels for packaged food products.
- With inputs from agencies
