The Supreme Court expressed displeasure with the compliance affidavit submitted by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) in a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking mandatory front-of-pack warning labels for packaged foods, as stated LiveLaw.
A bench comprising Justice JB Pardiwal and Justice KV Viswanathan reviewed the various pleas in the PIL initiated by 3S and Our Health Society. The petition urged the central government to introduce clear front-of-pack warnings detailing the sugar, salt and saturated fat content of processed foods.
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The original motion was disposed of on April 9, 2025, following assurances from the apex court that FSSAI has begun the process of introducing front-of-pack nutrition labeling. This was to be achieved through proposed amendments to the Food Safety and Standards (Labeling and Display) Regulations, 2020.
During this phase, the court directed an expert committee appointed by the FSSAI to draft recommendations and submit a report within three months to facilitate necessary updates to the regulations.
In the current case, the court examined the affidavit of compliance dated January 30, 2026, submitted by Dr. Kavitha Ramasamy, Joint Director, FSSAI.
The document revealed that the expert panel found a lack of consensus among industry stakeholders on India’s nutrition rating model proposed in 2022. The panel highlighted doubts about the effectiveness of the star rating algorithm and argued that its practical feasibility could not be assessed without first putting the model into operation.
In addition, the affidavit referred to the draft Food Safety and Standards (Labeling and Display) Regulations 2025 – announced in February 2025 – which, among other things, proposed displaying nutrition facts in bold.
However, it was noted that the food authority adjourned the matter to its 49th meeting on November 24, 2025, with the intention of returning to it at the next meeting, the report said.
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In addition, FSSAI indicated its plan to conduct more in-depth research, systematically map packaged foods by category, conduct consumer surveys on label engagement, study international trends in nutrition labeling and engage in broader discussions with stakeholders, including smaller businesses, before moving forward.
However, the court observed that the efforts made so far have not yielded any tangible or constructive results. She emphasized that the PIL deals with a critical issue regarding the fundamental right of the public to health.
The bench also took note of the petitioner’s suggestion that packaged items should carry a direct warning label on the package or container highlighting that such practices are a standard global health precaution.
“Prima-facie we are of the view that whatever exercise has been done so far has not yielded any positive or good result. The PIL has been filed with a specific purpose. It has raised an important issue as far as the right to health of the citizens of this country is concerned. Today even what was suggested by the learned counsel appearing for the petitioner makes sense and we want the authority to take this aspect into consideration,” the bench said.