‘This is your last chance’: SC pulls up Centre, FSSAI on delay in front-of-pack food warning labels

SC
gave
the
gove me t
two
weeks
to
take
a
fi al
call
o
i t oduci g
wa i g
labels
fo
packaged
foods.

NEW
DELHI:
Sup eme
Cou t
o
Thu sday
sha ply
c iticised
the
Ce t e
a d
the

Food
Safety
a d
Sta da ds
Autho ity
of
I dia
(FSSAI)
ove
the
delay
i
i t oduci g
f o t-of-pack
wa i g
labels
fo
packaged
food
p oducts
high
i
suga ,
salt
a d
satu ated
fat,
wa i g
that
it
would
issue
di ectio s
if
the
gove me t
failed
to
take
a
fi al
decisio .A
be ch
of
Justices
JB
Pa diwala
a d
K
Vi od
Cha d a
gave
the
Ce t e
two
weeks
to
place
its
fi al
decisio
o
eco d,
maki g
it
clea
that
the
gove me t
could
eithe
impleme t
the
p oposed
wa i g
labels
o
its
ow
o
face
judicial
i te ve tio .”This
is
you
last
cha ce.
Next
time
we
will
dictate
the
judgme t,”
the
be ch
said,
acco di g
to
ANI.The
cou t
epeatedly
u de li ed
that
the
issue
was
o e
of
public
health,
pa ticula ly
the
health
of
child e
a d
questio ed
the
gove me t’s
elucta ce
to
move
ahead
with
st o ge
ut itio al
wa i gs.”Why?
You
do ‘t
wa t
people
of
this
cou t y
to
emai
healthy?
Mo e
pa ticula ly
g owi g
child e ?”
the
be ch
asked
du i g
the
hea i g.Appea i g
fo
the
Ce t e,
additio al
solicito
ge e al
B ije de
Chaha
a gued
that
applyi g
st ict
wa i g
sta da ds
could
c eate
complicatio s
fo
t aditio al
I dia
food
items.
He
said
p oducts
such
as
amkee
could
e d
up
ca yi g
ed
wa i g
symbols
because
of
thei
fat
o
salt
co te t.

He
also
a gued
that
i te atio al
ut itio al
sta da ds
might
ot
be
di ectly
applicable
to
I dia
dieta y
habits,
poi ti g
out
that
eve
two
eggs
could
exceed
the
p esc ibed
daily
fat
limit.The
cou t,
howeve ,
was
u co vi ced.The
be ch
said
co sume s
we e
al eady
awa e
that
packaged
foods
co tai ed
suga ,
fat
a d
ca bohyd ates,
but
f o t-of-pack
wa i g
labels
would
p ovide
a
simple
a d
mo e
effective
way
of
commu icati g
ut itio al
isks
befo e
a
pu chase
was
made.The
judges
also
ejected
the
a gume t
that
wa i g
labels
could
adve sely
affect
ma ufactu e s.Acco di g
to
ANI,
the
be ch
obse ved
that
the
fi al
decisio
to
pu chase
a
p oduct
would
co ti ue
to
est
with
co sume s
a d
that
comme cial
co side atio s
could
ot
take
p ecede ce
ove
public
health.Du i g
the
p oceedi gs,
se io
advocate
Ma i de
Si gh,
appea i g
fo
a
ma ufactu e ,
attempted
to
make
submissio s.
The
cou t
espo ded
by
stati g
that
the
case
co ce ed
the
health
of
citize s
a d
that
ma ufactu e s
could
ot
dete mi e
gove me t
policy
o
the
issue.Se io
advocate
Devadutt
Kamat
suggested
that
food
p oducts
could
be
catego ised
diffe e tly
a d
that
detailed
ut itio al
i fo matio
should
be
displayed.The
be ch
cla ified
that
it
was
ot
opposed
to
a y
pa ticula
food
p oduct
but
was
o ly
seeki g
g eate
co sume
awa e ess.”I
this
cou t y,
how
ma y
people
ca
affo d
d y
f uits?
A d
how
ma y
child e
buy
Ku ku e?
That
makes
all
the
diffe e ce.
We
a e
ot
agai st
a y
pa ticula
p oduct.
We
o ly
wa t
the
pe so
pu chasi g
it
to
k ow
what
he
is
co sumi g,”
the
cou t
said,
acco di g
to
ANI.The
be ch
also
efe ed
to
its
Feb ua y
10,
2026,
o de ,
i
which
it
had
p eviously
add essed
the
issue
a d
laid
dow
its
obse vatio s.Du i g
Thu sday’s
hea i g,
the
petitio e ‘s
cou sel
d ew
the
cou t’s
atte tio
to
the
mi utes
of
a
FSSAI
meeti g
held
o
Ma ch
7,
which
allegedly
eflected
a
positio
co t a y
to
the
suggestio s
made
by
the
cou t
ea lie .The
judges
also
took
exceptio
to
the
Ce t e’s
a gume t
that
I dia
could
ot
easily
adopt
i te atio al
sta da ds
elati g
to
ut itio al
wa i gs.”We
do
ot
app ove
the
sta ce
of
the
U io
whe
it
says
that
it’s
ot
possible
to
match
the
i te atio al
sta da ds,
mo e
pa ticula ly
developed
cou t ies.
Should
I dia
emai
a
u developed
cou t y?”
the
be ch
asked,
acco di g
to
ANI.”The
wo ld
should
k ow
that
I dia
is
co ce ed
about
the
health
of
its
citize s
a d
mo e
pa ticula ly
child e ,”
it
added.The
case
stems
f om
a
petitio
seeki g
ma dato y
f o t-of-pack
wa i g
labels
fo
packaged
food
p oducts
co tai i g
high
levels
of
suga ,
salt
a d
satu ated
fat.The
p oposed
labels
a e
i te ded
to
help
co sume s
quickly
ide tify
pote tially
u healthy
p oducts
befo e
buyi g
them.

The
issue
has
also
bee
discussed
by
Pa liame t’s
Committee
o
Subo di ate
Legislatio ,
headed
by
Shiv
Se a
Rajya
Sabha
MP
Mili d
Deo a,
who
has
advocated
studyi g
Si gapo e’s
Nut i-G ade
model
as
a
possible
template
fo
I dia.Sepa ately,
the
U io
health
mi ist y
has
p oposed
displayi g
“suga
a d
oil
boa ds”
i
schools,
offices
a d
othe
public
i stitutio s
as
pa t
of
a
b oade
effo t
to
e cou age
healthie
eati g
habits
a d
educe
excessive
co sumptio
of
suga
a d
oil.

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