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Informist, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026

 

NEW DELHI – The Supreme Court Tuesday asked the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India to actively consider mandating upfront labelling on packaged foods to warn of high levels of sugar, saturated fats, and sodium. The court said a prima facie case had been made out that prominent warnings would serve public health interests.

 

While companies may resist such measures, the food regulator must place public health above commercial considerations, said a bench of Justice J.B. Pardiwala and Justice K.V. Viswanathan. The court said that if the regulator failed to take action, judicial intervention could follow. It asked the authority to respond within four weeks.

 

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.

 

The warning labels would effectively indicate the excessive presence of added sugars, sodium, unhealthy fats, and other harmful substances, the petitioner submitted. Such warnings act as a deterrent to excessive consumption and contribute to raising public awareness about the adverse effects of consuming such products, it said.  End

 

Reported by Surya Tripathi

Edited by Rajeev Pai

 

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