The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has proposed introducing red hexagonal front-of-pack warning labels on packaged foods that are high in sugar, salt and saturated fat.
The proposal was submitted to the Supreme Court through a six-page compliance affidavit on August 28, 2026, following the Court’s directions to move forward with interpretive warning labels for unhealthy packaged foods.
What Will the Warning Labels Say?
Under the proposed framework, packaged foods crossing specified nutrient thresholds would carry prominent warnings such as:
- HIGH FAT
- HIGH SUGAR
- HIGH SALT
Products exceeding more than one threshold could carry combined warnings, such as “HIGH FAT HIGH SUGAR.”
Highly sweetened beverages would have a separate warning stating “HIGHLY SWEETENED BEVERAGE.”
The nutrient thresholds would be based on criteria proposed with reference to the ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR-NIN) Dietary Guidelines, 2024.
Two-Phase Implementation Proposed
FSSAI has proposed implementing the warning-label system in two phases.
Phase I would apply to products that are high in two or more specified nutrients, as well as highly sweetened beverages.
Phase II would expand the requirement to products exceeding the threshold for even one nutrient.
However, nutrition advocate Dr. Arun Gupta, convenor of Nutrition Advocacy in Public Interest (NAPI), has raised concerns that the first phase could allow some products high in a single nutrient to escape a warning.
According to Dr. Gupta, a product high in sugar, for example, could avoid a warning if it does not cross the thresholds for fat and salt. He has argued that a warning should be triggered independently when a product is high in sugar, salt or saturated fat.
Concerns Over Warning Size and Visibility
FSSAI has proposed that the warning text should be highly visible, with its font size at least one point larger than the font used in the back-of-pack nutrition information table.
Dr. Gupta has questioned whether this requirement would provide sufficient visibility, particularly when nutrition tables are printed in very small type. He suggested that the warning size should instead be linked to the package’s principal display area.
He has also called for warnings to be available in both Hindi and English to improve consumer understanding across India.
Questions Over HFSS Definition and ‘Added’ Nutrients
Experts have also raised concerns about how high fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) foods would be defined and the proposal’s use of “added” nutrients.
Dr. Gupta has argued that the framework should use a clear, scientifically robust definition aligned with existing Indian regulatory and dietary guidance rather than creating thresholds that could weaken the effectiveness of the warning system.
Other areas identified for scrutiny include the nutrient thresholds, timeline for Phase II, definition of HFSS foods, use of added nutrients, warning-label size and exemptions.
Certain Single-Ingredient Foods Proposed for Exemption
Under the proposal, certain single-ingredient foods—including milk, ghee, edible oils, sugar, jaggery and honey—would be exempt from the warning-label requirement.
The exemptions are also expected to be examined as part of the broader regulatory process.
Proposal Not Yet in Force
Importantly, the proposed warning-label system is not yet mandatory.
The changes would take effect only after formal amendments are made to the Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations.
Front-of-pack labelling has been under discussion in India for several years. FSSAI began examining the issue in 2018 and later proposed HFSS and front-of-pack nutrition regulations in 2022, but the process remained stalled.
The Supreme Court’s intervention in 2026 has now accelerated the regulatory process. The matter is scheduled to be heard again on September 10, 2026.
The proposed red hexagonal warnings could represent a significant change in how consumers identify foods high in nutrients of concern. However, questions around thresholds, exemptions, visibility and the phased implementation will be crucial in determining how effective the final framework will be.
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