The Centre on Thursday told the Supreme Court that it was open to making red warning labels mandatory on packaged food products high in even one nutrient of concern—sugar, salt or saturated fat—dropping the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India’s ( FSSAI ) earlier proposal to trigger the warnings only when a product exceeded limits for two or more such nutrients.
“We are concerned with the health of people, more particularly with growing children and we are very serious about the matter. FSSAI had proposed the labels after the Supreme Court in August questioned its reluctance to adopt interpretive front-of-pack warnings and warned that it would issue directions if the government failed to act. The court’s intervention follows its criticism last month of the Centre and FSSAI for failing to move decisively on front-of-pack labelling.
On August 13, the bench had questioned whether the regulator was succumbing to pressure from food manufacturers and told the government that if it failed to act, the court would pass further directions. The court deferred further hearing to September 28, saying it would consider FSSAI’s latest compliance affidavit and submissions on the proposed thresholds and labelling framework before passing its order.
The bench said it was preparing an order on the issue that would serve the “national interest” and protect public health, particularly that of children. It is a cause in the national interest and we expect everyone to cooperate,” said the bench. The proposed system involves prominent red-coloured, hexagonal warnings on the front of packaged food, carrying declarations such as “HIGH FAT”, “HIGH SUGAR” and “HIGH SALT”. “Have you laid down any guidelines on the limits of sugar, or fat, or potassium to put that logo of ‘high in fat’ or ‘high in sugar’ or ‘high in salt’?” asked the bench. The FSSAI said the proposal was prepared to provide consumers with “simple, prominent and easily comprehensible” information about food products high in specified nutrients of concern. The regulator said the approach was intended to facilitate informed food choices, particularly for children and other vulnerable sections of the population. The proposed labels would have to be displayed in a font size one point larger than the font used in the nutritional information table on the back of the pack, according to the affidavit.
The court on Thursday also sought clarity on the precise thresholds that would trigger the warning.
