The Supreme Court announced on Thursday that it will issue a comprehensive order seeking input from stakeholders on mandating front-of-package warning labels for foods high in salt, sugar, and fat, framing the initiative as a matter of national interest vital to the health of growing children.
A bench comprising Justices J.B. Pardiwala and K. Vinod Chandran stated during proceedings that the court had examined the issue closely and classified it as a serious public health concern. The bench indicated that its written directions would be published within one to two days, directing all involved parties to review the document ahead of the next scheduled hearing on September 28.
Scrutiny Over Current Nutritional Disclosures
During the hearing, the judges pressed the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on the adequacy of existing consumer safeguards. The bench observed that while nutritional details are routinely printed on the reverse side of packaging, the regulator needed to clarify whether explicit benchmark limits exist to define when a product qualifies as high in fat, sugar, or salt.
Appearing for the food safety regulator, Senior Advocate Maninder Singh informed the court that global practices require two specific declarations on the back of packets: nutritional values calculated per 100 grams, alongside the content measured per individual serving size.
Intervening counsel raised additional concerns regarding how ultra-processed items are categorized. Senior Advocate Devadatt Kamat argued that current treatment fails to distinguish ultra-processed items, citing packaged snacks such as Kurkure, from nutrient-dense foods like eggs and salted cashews. Kamat urged the bench to consider higher-grade warnings and alternative color coding for ultra-processed items, pointing out that red and green symbols are already reserved in India to distinguish between non-vegetarian and vegetarian goods. The bench recorded these submissions for consideration in its impending order.
Regulator Outlines Phased Warning System
The proceedings follow a compliance affidavit previously submitted by the FSSAI, which laid out a structured framework for introducing front-of-pack nutrition labelling to assist consumer understanding and encourage healthier dietary choices.
Under the regulatory blueprint, manufacturers would be required to display a conspicuous red hexagonal warning symbol on products that breach nutritional limits for two or more target substances: added saturated fats, added sugars, and sodium. The proposed thresholds align with the 2024 Dietary Guidelines for Indians published by the Indian Council of Medical Research–National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR-NIN).
The regulator noted that qualifying packages would feature clear text tags such as “High Fat,” “High Sugar,” “High Salt,” or “Highly Sweetened Beverage.” According to the affidavit, the rollout is designed to occur across two distinct phases to enable industry reformulation and public adaptation. Phase I will restrict its focus to specified sweetened drinks and items exceeding limits across two or more targeted nutrients, while Phase II will expand mandatory warnings to products exceeding thresholds for even a single nutrient of concern.
Litigation Background And Earlier Strictures
The matter reaches the apex court through a petition filed by 3S and Our Health Society, a public charitable trust represented by advocate Rajiv Shankar Dvivedi. The plea seeks binding directions compelling the central government, states, and Union territories to enforce front-of-package nutritional warnings.
The initiative gained urgency following an August 13 ruling in which the top bench rebuked the central government and the FSSAI over protracted administrative delays. Emphasizing that obesity has emerged as a major national health emergency, the court observed that front-facing graphics are indispensable for shielding young children from junk food dependency.
At that session, the bench rejected federal assertions that domestic regulations could not yet mirror developed nations’ standards, asking whether India ought to remain an underdeveloped country. The court had granted authorities two weeks to finalize the design specifications—including interpretive symbols, numerical data, colors, or percentage indicators—cautioning that judicial directives would follow if the government failed to act independently.
