What Are the Proposed New Labels?
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has put forward a plan to introduce mandatory front-of-pack warning labels for packaged food items high in salt, sugar, or fat. The proposed label is a distinctive red hexagon set against a white
background. This symbol will be placed prominently on the front of the package, likely in the top-left corner, making it easy for shoppers to spot at a glance. The goal is to provide a simple, clear visual cue about the nutritional content of a product, a significant shift from the current system where this information is typically found in a detailed table on the back.
How to Read the Warning Labels
Reading the new labels is designed to be intuitive. Inside the red hexagon, text will explicitly state which nutrient is present in high amounts. You will see warnings like “High in Sugar,” “High in Salt,” or “High in Fat.” In a recent change to the proposal, FSSAI has clarified that a warning label will be required even if only one of these nutrients exceeds the prescribed limit. If a product is high in more than one, say sugar and fat, both will be mentioned together within a single hexagon. This single-phase approach, which is stricter than earlier drafts, ensures that consumers are clearly alerted to any single nutrient of concern.
Why Are These Warnings Being Introduced?
The push for these warning labels is rooted in public health. Unhealthy diets are linked to a significant portion of India's total disease burden, with rising rates of obesity and non-communicable diseases like diabetes. Health advocates and the Supreme Court have pushed for a system that empowers consumers to make healthier, more informed choices quickly. Currently, many shoppers primarily check the manufacturing or expiry date, often finding the detailed nutritional panels too technical or hard to understand. The new front-of-pack system aims to cut through this confusion with a direct and easy-to-interpret warning.
Which Foods Will Carry a Warning?
The warning labels will apply to packaged foods that exceed specific thresholds for added fat, added sugar, or salt content. These thresholds are based on the 2024 Dietary Guidelines for Indians, published by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). For solid foods, a product will be labelled 'high fat' if it has more than 4.2g of added fat per 100g, 'high sugar' if it exceeds 3g of added sugar, and 'high salt' if it contains more than 0.625g of salt. Separate, lower thresholds are set for liquid foods. The rules will apply regardless of how processed a food is; the nutrient content is the sole determining factor. Additionally, products with artificial sweeteners will need to carry a warning on the front of the pack.
The Debate and the Timeline
The introduction of these labels has been a topic of considerable debate. Food industry groups have expressed concerns, arguing that the red colour could be confused with the non-vegetarian food symbol and that nutrient thresholds should be based on serving sizes rather than 100g portions. However, health advocates and the Supreme Court have strongly backed the warning labels over other systems, like health-star ratings, which they argue can be misleading. FSSAI has told the Supreme Court that it needs about four months to finalise the draft regulations after public consultation. Following that, the food industry will have a year-long voluntary period to implement the changes. The Supreme Court, however, has criticised this extended timeline, pushing for faster implementation to protect public health.
