New Delhi, Aug 29: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has proposed introducing prominent red warning labels on the front of packaged food products that are high in specified levels of added fat, sugar and salt.
In a compliance affidavit filed before the Supreme Court, the food regulator said the proposed labelling system is aimed at providing consumers with a simple and easily understandable warning about products containing high levels of nutrients of concern.
Under the proposal, a red-coloured hexagonal warning label would be displayed on the front of food packages containing high levels of 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.
The proposed labels would carry declarations such as “High Fat”, “High Sugar”, “High Salt” and, where applicable, “Highly Sweetened Beverage”, allowing consumers to identify such products more easily.
The affidavit was filed in compliance with the Supreme Court’s August 13 order while hearing a petition filed by public charitable trust ‘3S and Our Health Society’. The petitioner has sought directions to the Centre, states and Union territories to make front-of-pack warning labels mandatory on packaged food products.
The FSSAI told the court that it has also prepared a proposal to display information on added sugar, fat and salt in pictorial form on the front of packages.
According to the proposal, the warning label would be displayed in a font size one point larger than the font used in the nutrition information table on the back of the package.
Certain products would be exempted from the proposed warning requirement, including single-ingredient foods and products that are naturally high in fat, sugar or salt, such as ghee, edible oils, salt, sugar, jaggery and honey, subject to other applicable food safety and labelling regulations.
The regulator has proposed implementing front-of-pack nutrition labelling in phases to allow consumers to adapt to the system and give manufacturers sufficient time for product reformulation.
In the first phase, the warning would apply to products high in two or more specified nutrients, along with specified sweetened beverages. The second phase would extend the requirement to products high in any one of the specified nutrients.
The FSSAI said the proposed system is intended to promote informed food choices, particularly among children and other vulnerable sections of the population.
The regulator said a product would be classified as high in fat, sugar and/or salt based on nutrient thresholds prescribed under the 2024 Dietary Guidelines for Indians issued by ICMR-NIN.
The proposed warning would be displayed inside a red hexagon on the front of the package in the prescribed format.
The FSSAI said the proposal would be formally notified through amendments to the relevant regulations after following the prescribed procedure.
