Supreme Court seeks FSSAI response on ‘nutrients of concern’ labels
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has sought further clarification from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on its proposed phased implementation of front-of-package labelling (FoPL) for packaged food products.
A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and K Vinod Chandran, hearing the matter on Thursday, asked the food regulator to provide more details on the proposed labelling system, particularly regarding “nutrients of concern” as well as fat, sugar and salt content.
FoPL is designed to provide consumers with easily understandable nutritional information on the front of food packages, helping them make informed purchasing decisions and choose healthier dietary options.
The bench also questioned the Centre on steps being taken to improve nutritional literacy among schoolchildren. The court flagged concerns over children being at acute risk of developing unhealthy eating habits.
The observations come amid growing concerns over the nutritional quality of packaged foods and their potential impact on public health, particularly among children.
The proposed FoPL system is aimed at making key nutritional information more visible and accessible to consumers, enabling them to identify products containing high levels of nutrients considered potentially harmful when consumed excessively.
