India’s food safety regulator has revived plans for prominent front-of-pack warning labels on packaged foods and beverages, marking a major shift from
its recent stance on the issue. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has proposed using a red-coloured hexagonal symbol on products that contain high levels of at least two of three nutrients: saturated fat, sugar or salt. The proposal was submitted to the Supreme Court on Friday as the court considered petitions from health activists seeking mandatory warning labels on packaged foods. The development comes amid growing public criticism over the lack of prominent warnings on products containing high levels of nutrients linked to health risks, according to a Reuters report. The proposed framework could have a substantial impact on India's packaged food and beverage industry, a market valued at more than $100 billion, where major companies and industry bodies have previously opposed such labelling requirements. Under the proposal submitted to the Supreme Court, qualifying packaged food and beverage products would carry a red hexagonal warning indicating which nutrient levels are high. The labels could include declarations such as 'HIGH FAT', 'HIGH SUGAR', 'HIGH SALT' and/or 'HIGHLY SWEETENED BEVERAGE'. "The warning label shall indicate the applicable declaration, such as 'HIGH FAT', 'HIGH SUGAR', 'HIGH SALT' and/or 'HIGHLY SWEETENED BEVERAGE' ... to enable consumers to readily identify products high in the specified nutrients," FSSAI said in the filing on Friday, as per the report. The regulator said the proposed system would "facilitate informed food choices, particularly in relation to children and other vulnerable groups of the population". Unlike the approach considered by some countries, India's proposal would trigger the red warning when two or more of the specified nutrients cross the relevant threshold. Why The Food Regulator Changed Its Position The latest proposal represents a notable change in FSSAI's position.Earlier this month, the regulator had told the Supreme Court that matching international standards for front-of-pack labelling was "difficult", an argument that broadly reflected concerns raised by sections of the food industry. The Supreme Court, however, had pushed the government to move quickly on the issue. It had also previously indicated that India could consider a model similar to Israel's, where a prominent red warning can be applied when even one of the specified nutrients is present above the prescribed limit. The latest filing therefore puts forward a different threshold, requiring at least two nutrients to be high before the red warning appears. The proposed system is also expected to be introduced in phases, giving manufacturers time to adapt their packaging. Single-ingredient food products would be excluded from the proposed requirement.
