India’s food safety regulator has proposed mandatory front-of-pack warning labels for packaged foods and beverages containing high levels of unhealthy nutrients, marking a significant shift in the long-running debate over how consumers should be alerted to excessive sugar, salt and saturated fat. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has proposed a red hexagonal symbol that would prominently identify products exceeding prescribed nutritional thresholds, according to a submission made before the Supreme Court.
The proposal follows mounting pressure from health campaigners and the apex court, which earlier this month questioned the delay in introducing easily understandable warnings on packaged foods.
Red hexagon proposed
Under the proposed framework, the warning would identify the relevant nutritional concern through declarations such as “HIGH FAT”, “HIGH SUGAR” or “HIGH SALT”. A separate warning for highly sweetened beverages has also been envisaged.
However, FSSAI’s current proposal would require a product to be high in at least two of the specified nutrients for the red warning symbol to become applicable. That approach differs from systems in some other countries where exceeding the threshold for even one specified nutrient can trigger a warning. The regulator has said the front-facing system is intended to make nutritional risks easier to recognise at the point of purchase, particularly for children and other vulnerable consumers.
Supreme Court pushed for action
The development follows strong observations from the Supreme Court over the regulator’s handling of the issue.
On August 13, a Bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and K Vinod Chandran gave the Centre two weeks to place its decision before the court after expressing concern over the delay. The court stressed that the objective was not to prohibit particular foods but to ensure consumers clearly understood what they were purchasing and consuming.
FSSAI had earlier proposed displaying recommended daily limits alongside nutritional values and serving sizes, an approach criticised by public-health advocates who argued that it would still require consumers to interpret relatively complex information.
Industry has opposed warning system
The question of front-of-pack labelling has been under discussion in India for several years, with major food and beverage companies and industry groups raising concerns about warning-based systems.
Companies have argued that nutritional classifications must account for serving sizes, consumption patterns and the overall composition of food rather than relying solely on individual nutrient thresholds. Health campaigners, meanwhile, have pushed for simple and prominent symbols that immediately tell consumers when packaged products contain excessive amounts of sugar, salt or unhealthy fats.
The issue recently drew wider public attention after reports highlighted differences between nutritional labelling practices followed by multinational food companies in India and overseas markets.
Phased implementation planned
FSSAI has proposed introducing the new system gradually, giving food manufacturers time to modify packaging and comply with the requirements. Single-ingredient food products are expected to remain outside the proposed warning-label regime.
The debate comes amid growing concern over obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases in India. A recent study published in The Lancet projected that around 450 million Indians could be overweight or obese by 2050. If adopted, mandatory front-of-pack warnings would represent a major change in the way packaged food is marketed in India, moving crucial nutritional information from detailed declarations on the back of packets to prominent warnings designed to influence purchasing decisions.