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Getting the latest healthcare news for you
India's food safety regulator proposed red hexagonal warning labels for packaged foods exceeding limits in at least two of three nutrients — sugar, salt, or saturated fat. Health experts say the two-nutrient threshold lets many unhealthy products slip through, while food giants warn the strict benchmarks will flag nearly everything. India's Supreme Court is set to weigh in on September 10.
India's Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSAI) has proposed a red hexagonal front-of-pack warning label for packaged foods that exceed limits in at least two of three nutrients: added sugar, salt, or saturated fat. The move comes after public backlash over reports that the government had previously bowed to industry lobbying from companies like Coca-Cola, Nestlé, and PepsiCo to block such labels altogether.
The proposal is now drawing fire from both sides. Health experts argue the two-nutrient threshold is a critical loophole — a product high in just one nutrient, like a cereal with 27% added sugar, could escape any warning entirely. Meanwhile, food industry executives fear the strict thresholds and 100-gram benchmarks will slap red labels on a vast swath of products, including traditional sweets and snacks.
By the Numbers:
Why it matters: With nearly half a billion Indians projected to be overweight or obese by mid-century, effective food labeling could be a powerful public health tool. But a policy that satisfies neither health advocates nor industry risks being watered down — or tied up in courts — before it can make a real difference.
