SC sets 3-month deadline for mandatory nutritional labels on packaged foods- What are the new labelling norms?

The Supreme Court has set a three-month deadline for the Centre to implement stricter food labelling rules, demanding clear nutritional information on packaged foods.

A bench of Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice R Mahadevan issued the directive while hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), instructing the Centre to finalize and enforce updated regulations on food labelling within the next three months, according to a report by Economic Times.

The PIL had urged the court to mandate Front-of-Pack Warning Labels (FoPWL) for packaged foods containing high levels of sugar, salt, and saturated fats—ingredients linked to diseases like diabetes and heart conditions.

During the hearing, Justice Pardiwala pointed out the lack of transparency in current food packaging, emphasizing, “You all have grandchildren? Let the order on the petition come. You will know what Kurkure and Maggi are and how their wrappers should be. The packets have no information.”

In response to the court's concerns, the Centre assured that the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had already begun the process of revising the regulations, having received over 14,000 public comments on the proposed labelling norms. While the court disposed of the PIL, it issued a firm instruction for the Centre to complete the revision and implementation within three months.

What are the new labelling norms?

The new regulations, approved in June 2024, require packaged food companies to display key nutritional information such as total sugar, salt, and saturated fat content, as well as the percentage of the recommended daily intake (RDA), in bold and prominent font on the front of packaging.

The government’s affidavit states that the updated rules aim to help consumers make informed decisions and improve public health outcomes.

"The information regarding per serve percentage contribution to RDAs would be given in bold letters for total sugar, total saturated fat, and sodium content," the government said. These changes will also contribute to combating the rise of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and promoting public health and well-being.

The updated norms will amend Regulation 2(v) and 5(3) of the FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020, which govern the presentation of serving sizes and nutritional details on labels.

Why does this matter?

India has seen a rise in the consumption of ultra-processed foods, especially among children, with products like chips, noodles, sodas, and packaged snacks often lacking clear nutritional labelling. Public health experts have long warned about the growing burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as obesity, hypertension, and Type 2 diabetes.