Too weak, too strict: India's food warning labels draw fire from all sides

According to Business Recorder, India's Food Safety and Standards Authority has proposed a red hexagonal front-of-pack label for packaged foods that exceed limits on two of three nutrients: added sugar, salt and saturated fat. The proposal has drawn criticism from health experts and food manufacturers alike, each arguing that it is either too weak or too strict. Global health experts warn that a two-nutrient threshold would let products high in a single nutrient escape scrutiny.

Industry executives object to a 100-gram benchmark used to judge warnings, arguing that per-serve calculations would be more realistic. Red warnings would apply when added sugar exceeds 3% of solid products by weight or fat exceeds 4.2%, limits stricter than many foreign markets. Under the two-nutrient rule, a Kellogg's multigrain Chocos box with 27% added sugar would potentially avoid any warning.

The FSSAI has submitted the proposal to the Supreme Court, which is scheduled to hear the matter on September 10. The health group 3S And Our Health, which challenged the plan in court, has drafted a submission flagging loopholes such as an exemption for honey and jaggery.