Supreme Court Pushes for Expert Recommendations on Food Labeling

The Supreme Court has instructed an expert committee to provide recommendations for amending food safety regulations to mandate warning labels on packaged foods. This move aims to help citizens make informed dietary choices amid rising non-communicable diseases. The regulations will address sugar, salt, and unhealthy fat content.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed an expert committee to quickly offer recommendations that will aid the government in amending food safety regulations to address warning labels on packaged foods. This directive comes in response to a public interest litigation by charitable trust 3S and Our Health Society.

As part of its decision, the Court acknowledged the Centre and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India's (FSSAI) efforts to propose amendments. The government reportedly received approximately 14,000 public objections and suggestions on the proposed changes, leading to the formation of an expert committee to scrutinize these inputs and suggest amendments to the existing regulations.

The plea highlighted the growing crisis of non-communicable diseases in India, attributing them largely to ultra-processed foods laden with sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats. The expert committee has been tasked to provide its recommendations within three months to the Centre, aiming to curtail the health burden caused by poor dietary choices.

(With inputs from agencies.)