The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted a final three-month extension to the expert committee under the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to submit its recommendations on mandatory front-of-package warning labels (FOPL) for packaged food items high in sugar, salt, and saturated fats — ingredients closely linked to lifestyle diseases such as diabetes and heart ailments.
A bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan accepted the committee’s request for more time, noting that the panel is conducting pan-India consultations. “We grant further time of three months for one last time, failing which we will take appropriate steps as per law,” the bench warned, making it clear that further delays would not be tolerated.
The extension was sought after the earlier three-month period granted on April 9 expired on July 9. The court had earlier asked the FSSAI panel to analyze over 14,000 public responses to a 2022 draft regulation proposing the introduction of Indian Nutritional Rating (INR) labels. The FSSAI said the expert committee is now also gathering feedback from grassroots stakeholders, including micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), self-help groups, consumer bodies, and regional food business operators.
In its submission, FSSAI told the court that stakeholder consultations had been held in Delhi, Goa, Hyderabad, and Kolkata, with the last such meeting on May 30. The authority said that wider and inclusive consultations, as directed in its March 2024 internal meeting, are crucial to finalizing a policy that affects the entire food production and consumption ecosystem.
However, the petitioner — NGO 3S and Our Health Society — argued that the authority was using consultations as a stalling tactic. Represented by advocate Rajiv Shankar Dwivedi, the petitioner said the committee had not convened even once during the original three-month window. Dwivedi further criticized the INR-based star rating system proposed in the amendments, saying it obscures the harmful content of packaged foods and fails to offer transparent information to consumers. Instead, the petitioner advocated for clear warning labels that explicitly indicate high levels of sugar, salt, or unhealthy fats.
The Supreme Court acknowledged the petitioner’s concerns but chose to give the FSSAI committee one last chance. “It is alright as long as they are looking into the matter,” the bench said, adding that failure to submit the report within the extended period may result in contempt proceedings.
The FOPL issue stems from a 2022 amendment proposal to the Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020. The amendments introduced the INR — a front-of-package star-rating system designed to score a product’s nutritional value by weighing both its positive and negative ingredients. The Centre has defended the INR in court, calling it a “balanced approach” that informs consumers of a food item’s overall health profile.
However, the petitioner highlighted the urgent need for a more direct and cautionary labelling system, pointing to WHO reports and the increasing prevalence of diet-related diseases in India. The NGO’s PIL, filed in 2024, argues that government inaction on the issue amid rising health concerns amounts to policy paralysis.
