More Stories

Informist, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026

 

NEW DELHI – On the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India's statement that it was not possible to mandate upfront labelling on packaged foods to warn of high levels of sugar, saturated fats, and sodium, the Supreme Court questioned whether the food safety regulator was succumbing to corporate pressure. "You don't want the people of this country to remain healthy? More particularly, growing children?" the court questioned. "Should India remain as an undeveloped country? That's the question we are putting forward for the Union to consider," said a Bench of Justice J.B. Pardiwala and Justice K. Vinod Chandran. The world should know that India is concerned about the health of its citizens and more particularly children, said the court. 

 

The top court asked the food safety regulator to seriously consider mandating upfront labelling on packaged foods and take an appropriate decision in two weeks. If the food safety regulator does it on its own well and good, otherwise the court will proceed to pass further directions. 

 

"You (food safety regulator) don't want to do it? Are you taking the court for a toss? Or else we will give you a toss like anything. Our order is very clear. There is immense pressure at the end of all these corporate houses on you. And you are succumbing to that pressure," said the apex court. "We are doing this in public interest. Keep it in mind. We are not doing it for ourselves. Why are you not abiding by our order? What have you done so far? We know the pressure on you," it said. "You have to do what the court asks you to do! Understood? If you can't do it, we will pass the order," it added.

 

The food safety regulator said the difficulty in mandating upfront labelling on packaged food was that each of the traditional foods would have the red symbol on it. The permissible limit for fat is 10 grams a day, it said, adding that two eggs have 11 grams of fat and they will have a red symbol. In developed countries, food is bland, less sugar, less fat, those yardsticks will not be applicable to Indian traditional food, it said.  

 

The top court said that the government must be concerned about the health of young children who are addicted to fats, sugars and carbohydrates. "Manufacturers may not like this because it may affect their business. Even after these warnings, it's the discretion of the person who purchases it. He may still purchase it or he may not purchase it. Why are you reluctant to do this?" said the court. On a manufacturer's argument that salted cashew and chips, both will be branded under the same, the court said, "In this country, how many people can afford dry fruits? And how many children buy Kurkure? That makes all the difference. We are not against any particular product. We only want the person purchasing it to know what he is consuming."

 

The court was hearing a public interest litigation initiated by 3S and Our Health Society Public Charitable Trust, a non-profit organisation, seeking a direction to the government, states, and food regulator to mandate the implementation of front-of-package warning labels on packaged foods. The petitioner said warnings on the front of packaging serve as a powerful tool to empower consumers to make informed choices about their diet and reduce the adverse impact of commercial interests of big corporations.

 

Such warnings enable citizens to easily identify and understand the nutritional content and harmful ingredients present in packaged food and beverages and make healthier choices, the organisation said. While the food regulator has already recognised the significance of warning labels, it is crucial to expedite regulations that mandate the usage of warning labels in prominent positions on packaging, it said.  End

 

Reported by Surya Tripathi

Edited by Akul Nishant Akhoury

 

For users of real-time market data terminals, Informist news is available exclusively on the NSE Cogencis WorkStation.

 

Cogencis news is now Informist news. This follows the acquisition of Cogencis Information Services Ltd. by NSE Data & Analytics Ltd., a 100% subsidiary of the National Stock Exchange of India Ltd. As a part of the transaction, the news department of Cogencis has been sold to Informist Media Pvt. Ltd.

 

Informist Media Tel +91 (11) 4220-1000

Send comments to feedback@informistmedia.com

 

© Informist Media Pvt. Ltd. 2026. All rights reserved.