FSSAI seeks six weeks from Supreme Court to submit proposal on food packet nutrition labelling

New Delhi: India’s apex food regulator has sought six weeks of time from the Supreme Court to submit a proposal on front of package nutritional labelling for food and beverages, and convened yet another stakeholders’ consultation on Thursday even as public health campaigners worry that such a move will further delay in implementing a long-pending public health reform.

In an affidavit submitted before the top court last week, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India sought an additional six weeks of time “for submission of a proposal on the front of package nutrition labelling.”

The FSSAI also informed the court about the stakeholders’ meeting on March 19 and noted that a draft amendment will be prepared based on the meeting’s outcome.

The response came in the wake of Supreme Court on February 10 informing the regulator that the exercise undertaken by the authority so far “has not yielded any positive or good result.”

Front of pack nutrition label informing the consumers about high sugar, salt and fat contents of the products is a long-sought public health measure that has been debated since 2021.

Such labelling is needed for India’s rising burden of non-communicable diseases like obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular illnesses, which is driven largely by the consumption of unhealthy diets containing ultra-processed and high-fat, sugar and salt food and beverage products.

“The question of front-of-pack labelling has already been the subject of extensive consultations and technical deliberations over several years. Reopening broad stakeholder consultations raises concerns about further delay in implementing a long-pending public health measure,” Arun Gupta, convenor, Nutrition Advocacy in Public Interest – a Delhi-based think tank – wrote in a letter to Punya Salila Srivastava, the FSSAI chairperson, who is also the Union Health Secretary.

He also asked the FSSAI to ensure that food and beverage companies should not be a part of the regulatory process because of a clear conflict of interest.

“While industry perspectives may be relevant at the stage of implementation, the framing of public health warnings, particularly those intended to inform consumers about foods high in fat, sugar and salt, should remain insulated from commercial influence,” wrote Gupta, a paediatrician.

In its affidavit, the FSSAI said that after it published a draft notification in 2022, the authority received more than 14,000 comments that were scrutinised by an expert committee formed in 2023. The issues were deliberated upon within the FSSAI at various level.

The campaigners batted for simple images and presented them before the apex court. The FSSAI, on the other hand, favoured a star-rating that has been opposed by the critics.

“The matter is complex in nature requiring further consultations and examination. Therefore, a stakeholder consultation is proposed before deciding on the modalities of front of pack labelling,” the regulator added.