New Delhi: India’s food safety regulator has proposed red warning labels on the front of packaged food and drinks that are high in sugar, fat or salt, marking a significant shift in the country’s approach to food labelling.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, or FSSAI, submitted the proposal to the Supreme Court in a compliance affidavit filed on August 28. The proposal follows repeated intervention by the court over the need for clearer front of pack nutrition warnings.
Under the proposal, certain products would carry red hexagonal warnings with messages such as “HIGH FAT”, “HIGH SUGAR” and “HIGH SALT”. A separate warning reading “HIGHLY SWEETENED BEVERAGE” has also been proposed for specified sweetened drinks.
The labels are intended to make important nutritional information easier to see without requiring consumers to study detailed information on the back of a package. FSSAI said the system would provide a simple and clear warning and help consumers make informed food choices, particularly in relation to children and other vulnerable groups.
The proposal would be introduced in two phases. In the first phase, warnings would apply to products that are high in two or more specified nutrients, including added saturated fat, added sugar and salt. Specified sweetened beverages would also come under the warning system.
In the second phase, the warning requirement would be extended to products that are high in any one of the specified nutrients.
The thresholds would be based on the Dietary Guidelines for Indians, 2024, issued by the Indian Council of Medical Research and the National Institute of Nutrition.
FSSAI has proposed that the warnings should be displayed prominently. The font used for the warning would be at least one point larger than the font used in the nutrition information table on the back of the package.
Some products would be exempt under the proposal. These include certain single ingredient foods and products that are inherently rich in fat, sugar or salt. The examples identified by the regulator include ghee, edible oil, salt, sugar, jaggery and honey. These products would remain subject to other food safety and labelling requirements.
The latest proposal follows a long running dispute over how packaged foods should display nutritional information in India.
The Supreme Court has been hearing a public interest petition filed by the Kerala based organisation 3S and Our Health Society, which has sought mandatory front of pack warning labels for packaged foods high in fat, sugar and salt.
In February, the Supreme Court asked FSSAI to consider clear warnings such as high sodium, high sugar and high saturated fat on the front of packages.
FSSAI later moved towards a different approach. In an affidavit filed on August 3, the regulator proposed displaying recommended daily limits alongside the quantities of certain nutrients in packaged foods. The approach would have required consumers to compare the figures and assess the nutritional content themselves.
The Supreme Court was not satisfied with the regulator’s position. On August 13, a bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and K Vinod Chandran gave the Centre and FSSAI two weeks to place their final decision on front of pack labelling on record.
The court also questioned whether pressure from food manufacturers was influencing the regulator. The court’s intervention did not itself prescribe the red hexagonal design, but it pushed the authorities to reconsider their approach to front of pack warnings.
FSSAI has now proposed the red warning system in response to that intervention. The change represents a move towards direct warnings that consumers can identify quickly.
The proposal has also drawn attention because food companies and industry groups have previously opposed prominent warning labels. They have argued that such labels could confuse consumers and questioned whether warning symbols alone would significantly change eating habits.
Health advocates have argued that consumers should be able to identify products high in nutrients of concern quickly and clearly.
The proposal also places India within a wider international debate over front of pack nutrition labelling. Different countries use different systems to warn consumers about products high in nutrients of concern.
However, the proposed Indian system has not yet taken effect. There is currently no final notification or announced implementation date.
FSSAI has told the Supreme Court that the proposed changes would need to be notified through amendments to the relevant regulations after the prescribed regulatory process is completed.
For now, the proposal remains subject to that process. The Supreme Court is expected to continue examining the government’s response as the case proceeds.