Food regulator tells Supreme Court front-of-pack labels will roll out in one phase

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has told the Supreme Court that it plans to launch front-of-pack nutrition labelling for packaged foods in a single phase. The food regulator asked for four months to issue and finalise the draft rules under the Food Safety and Standards Act of 2006. This legal step follows a petition by a Kerala-based NGO named 3S and Our Health Society, which was represented in court by advocate Rajiv Shankar Dvivedi. During the proposed four-month window, the regulator will publish the draft amendment regulations for sixty days to invite feedback from stakeholders through domestic consultations and the World Trade Organization platform. After checking these comments and gaining approval from the Food Authority, the final notice will go to the Ministry for official gazette publication. To prevent financial losses for food business operators who have already printed bulk packaging materials, the plan includes a 365-day voluntary adoption period. The proposed design features a red hexagon on a white square background, which is similar to the system used in Canada. If a product contains just one problem nutrient, it will appear in the hexagon, while products with two or three problem nutrients will list all of them inside that same single shape. Any food item or drink containing non-caloric sweeteners must also display a direct warning statement on the front saying it contains non-caloric sweeteners. The Supreme Court had previously criticized the agency for delaying the introduction of these clear warning labels for sugar, salt and saturated fat levels on packaged items.