India’s Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has proposed prominent red, hexagonal warning labels on packaged foods and beverages high in sugar, salt or saturated fat, reversing its earlier position after growing public anger and pressure from the Supreme Court, as reported by Indian Express and Business Standard. The proposed labels would carry warnings such as “HIGH SUGAR,” “HIGH SALT,” “HIGH FAT” and “HIGHLY SWEETENED BEVERAGE.”
The proposal was submitted to India’s Supreme Court as part of a case brought by health activists seeking clearer front of pack nutrition information. The court had criticised the government and FSSAI over delays in introducing an effective warning system, particularly amid concerns about rising obesity among children and other vulnerable groups.
FSSAI has proposed a two phase rollout. Initially, warnings would apply to products exceeding thresholds for at least two of the specified nutrients, before expanding in a second phase to products exceeding the threshold for any one. Single ingredient products such as cooking oil, salt, sugar, jaggery and honey would be exempt.
The move could significantly affect India’s more than $100 billion packaged food and beverage market, where major global companies including Coca Cola, Nestlé and PepsiCo have opposed mandatory warning labels. For consumers, however, the policy could make potentially unhealthy products easier to identify at the point of purchase and represents a major shift in India’s approach to food labelling.
