Supreme Court asks FSSAI to consider front-of-pack warning labels on foods high in sugar, salt and fat

The Supreme Court recently asked the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to consider introducing front-of-pack warning labels on packaged food products containing high levels of sugar, salt and saturated fat [3S And Our Health Society vs. Union of India & Anr.]. .A Bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and KV Viswanathan made the suggestion while examining a compliance affidavit filed by FSSAI in a public interest litigation (PIL) concerning Front-of-Package Nutrition Labelling (FoPNL).The Court was not satisfied with the affidavit placed on record and noted that despite earlier directions, no concrete progress had been made towards implementing a clear and effective front-of-pack labelling system. It observed that the issue raised in the PIL concerns the right to health of citizens and required serious attention..The matter goes back to April 2025 when the Court had disposed of the PIL with a direction to the expert committee constituted by FSSAI to finalise its recommendations within three months so that necessary amendments to the Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations could be given effect to.When the case was taken up again this week to assess compliance, the Court examined the fresh affidavit filed by FSSAI. The affidavit stated that although an expert committee had deliberated on the Indian Nutrition Rating (INR) system and received over 14,000 stakeholder comments, there was no consensus on the proposed format. It further indicated that additional research, stakeholder consultation and global trend analysis were being contemplated before any final decision.The Bench, however, observed that the exercise undertaken so far had not yielded any “positive or good result” and emphasised that the PIL had been filed with a specific public health objective..The Court also took note of a suggestion advanced during the hearing that packaged food products should carry a prominent warning on the front of the packet indicating if the product contains high levels of sugar, salt or saturated fat. The idea, as discussed in Court, was that such information should be clearly visible to consumers at first glance, rather than being buried in fine print on the back of the package.Front-of-pack labelling of this nature is internationally prevalent and is intended to enable consumers to make informed dietary choices quickly and easily, the Bench noted.The Court asked the FSSAI to take the below illustration into consideration while designing the labels. .The FSSAI has been given four weeks time to revert with a plan of action. .[Read Order].Follow Bar and Bench channel on WhatsAppDownload the Bar and Bench Mobile app for instant access to the latest legal news.