During the hearing, Justice JB Pardiwala strongly highlighted the lack of clear information on food wrappers.
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court of India has given a three-month deadline to the Central Government to finalise rules for improving food labelling on packaged items. These rules will make it compulsory to display important nutritional details like sugar, salt, and fat levels clearly on food packets, so that people can make healthier choices.
This decision came while the Court was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) about food safety and labelling.
A bench of Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice R Mahadevan asked the Centre to complete the process of changing the Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020 within three months.
During the hearing, Justice JB Pardiwala strongly highlighted the lack of clear information on food wrappers.
He remarked:
“You all have grandchildren? Let the order on petition come. You will know what Kurkure and Maggi are and how their wrappers should be. The packets have no information.”
This comment reflected his concern about the health risks associated with popular processed foods and the need for better transparency for consumers, especially children.
The Centre, during the hearing, shared an affidavit submitted by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). According to this affidavit, the FSSAI had received nearly 14,000 comments from the public on the proposed new labelling rules. Based on these inputs, the authority has decided to go ahead with amendments to the 2020 regulations.
After acknowledging these efforts, the Supreme Court disposed of the PIL but clearly told the Centre to finish the amendment process within three months.
In June 2024, FSSAI approved a proposal to make food labels more informative. The goal is to help people easily understand the health value of the food they eat.
The new rules will require packaged food items to clearly show the amounts of sugar, salt, and saturated fat using bold letters and prominent font size. This information must be printed on the front of the package so it is easily visible.
As per a government statement:
“The information regarding per serve percentage (%) contribution to Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) would be given in bold letters for total sugar, total saturated fat and sodium content. Regulation 2 (v) and 5(3) of FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulation, 2020 specifies requirements to mention serving size and nutritional information on the food product label, respectively.”
The government said these changes are not just to inform people but also to improve public health. The detailed and clear labelling system is expected to help consumers make healthier food choices.
The statement also added:
“Along with empowering consumers make healthier choices, the amendment would also contribute towards efforts to combat the rise of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) and promote public health and well-being. The prioritisation of the development of clear and distinguish labelling requirements would help in the global effort to combat NCDs.”
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