Overview
- On August 13 the Supreme Court told the Centre and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India to place a final decision on front‑of‑pack labelling on record within two weeks or face binding directions from the bench.
- FSSAI has filed an affidavit proposing a numeric nutrition table that lists a product’s nutrient values next to government daily limits rather than using interpretive warning symbols.
- The court sharply questioned FSSAI’s hesitation, raised the prospect of industry influence over the regulator, and expressed a clear preference for simple warning labels that identify products 'high in' sugar, salt or saturated fat.
- The government has defended a numeric approach by citing practical problems for traditional foods and possible harm to micro, small and medium enterprises, but the court rejected the argument that India cannot follow international labelling norms.
- The dispute builds on years of regulator flip‑flops — including a withdrawn 2022 star‑rating plan — and matters to public health because experiments and experts say clear front‑of‑pack warnings help low‑health‑literacy shoppers, especially children, make quicker choices while industry and MSME impacts will shape implementation.