After Supreme Court rap, FSSAI proposes pictorial front-of-pack warning labels for packaged foods high in sugar, salt and fat

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has proposed a new initiative to introduce red hexagonal warning labels on packaged foods high in sugar, salt, and saturated fat, following a Supreme Court directive. This move aims to enhance consumer awareness regarding unhealthy food products.¹²

The proposal was presented in a six-page compliance affidavit during a Public Interest Litigation, emphasizing the need for mandatory front-of-pack warning labels. The FSSAI stated that the labels would be pictorial, designed to provide consumers with a “simple, prominent and easily comprehensible warning” about products high in specified nutrients of concern.³⁵

Under the proposed system, products containing two or more of the specified nutrients—added saturated fat, added sugar, and salt—would display a red hexagonal warning label. The labels would include declarations such as “High Fat,” “High Sugar,” “High Salt,” and “Highly Sweetened Beverage”, depending on the product's composition.

The FSSAI has outlined a two-phase implementation plan for the front-of-pack warning system. Phase I will target products high in two or more specified nutrients, along with certain sweetened beverages. Phase II will extend the requirement to products high in any one of the specified nutrients. Notably, the proposed requirement will not apply to single-ingredient food products or those inherently rich in fat, sugar, or salt, such as ghee, edible oil, salt, sugar, jaggery, and honey.