FSSAI plans red warning labels for packaged foods high in sugar, salt and fat

FSSAI has told the Supreme Court it plans bright red hexagonal front-of-pack warnings on packaged foods that exceed sugar, salt or saturated fat limits. The move follows sharp judicial scrutiny over poor labelling and aims to make unhealthy choices immediately visible to consumers.After Supreme Court rebuke, FSSAI proposes red warning labels on packaged foodsThe Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court proposing a striking new front-of-pack warning label for packaged foods, a bright red, hexagonal symbol designed to immediately flag products that contain excessive levels of sugar, salt or saturated fat.The move is intended to make potential health risks more visible to consumers and enable them to make more informed, healthier choices. It comes days after a Supreme Court bench led by Justice JB Pardiwala strongly reprimanded the FSSAI and the government over the issue.While hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by the NGO '3S and Our Health Society,' the Court held certain food products responsible for the rising trend of childhood obesity; these products contain excessive levels of fat, sugar, and salt, yet companies fail to clearly disclose this information on the packaging.It was following this rebuke that the government announced these reforms via the affidavit. If a food product exceeds the prescribed limits for sugar, salt, or saturated fat, a red hexagonal warning label, similar to a “stop sign,” must be displayed prominently on the front of the package.It will be mandatory to print "HIGH SUGAR," "HIGH SALT," or "HIGH FAT" in clear, large lettering on the package. The font size used for these labels must be at least one point larger than the font used in the nutritional information table on the back of the package, ensuring that consumers can easily spot and read them. The plan is to implement this in two phases. In the first phase, the requirement will apply to packages containing excessive levels of two or more of these ingredients (sugar, salt, or fat).The second phase will extend the requirement to products containing an excess of even a single one of these ingredients. Certain food products will be exempted; basic single-ingredient foods such as ghee, oil, salt, sugar, jaggery, and honey are proposed to be excluded from this front-of-pack warning requirement.- EndsPublished By: Apoorva AnandPublished On: Aug 29, 2026 10:42 IST