India court orders food label timeline within 10 days — SkimNews
Get the Health newsletter
Daily health & science — research, biotech, public health, the studies worth knowing. Free.
- India's Supreme Court ordered the federal government to provide a clear pathway for implementing food warning labels on packaged products within 10 days, citing concern that 'absent a specific indication, the implementation of Phase II might take a backseat or be indefinitely postponed.'
- The court acted on a complaint from a health non-profit, amid a broader crackdown on food safety that has seen regulators raid eateries nationwide.
- The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) proposed a two-phased programme starting with red-coloured hexagonal warning labels on products exceeding limits in at least two of three categories — added sugar, salt, or saturated fat — with stricter rules in a second phase.
- A government source said FSSAI will examine the order but is willing to implement both phases in one go.
- Reuters previously reported that India opted for a weaker labelling regime after lobbying by Coca-Cola and groups backing Nestle and PepsiCo, which argued warning labels were ineffective, even as many of these companies have implemented such measures voluntarily in European markets.
- India's food and drinks industry has opposed the warning labels, calling them confusing and ineffective.
Why it matters: The court's 10-day deadline directly targets the gap between Phase I and Phase II of India's labelling plan — a gap FSSAI itself left open and that industry lobbied to widen. With the court signaling it won't accept indefinite delays, the government and major packaged-food companies face a narrowing window to either accept stricter, sugar-and-salt thresholds or publicly justify weaker rules.
Ask SkimNews
