India’s packaged-food labelling framework could be heading for a major change. FSSAI is considering mandatory front-of-pack nutrition labelling (FOPNL) that would prominently identify whether a packaged food or beverage exceeds prescribed limits for fat, salt or sugar, broadly along the lines of Canada’s pictorial warning system.
The proposal is also considering five product categories or bands, with HFSS (high fat, sugar and salt) thresholds potentially based on typical serving sizes rather than applying one uniform 100-g benchmark to every product. For example, the assessment could use a 5-g serving for pickle but 100 g for buttermilk.
The issue has gained urgency after the Supreme Court questioned the prolonged delay in introducing front-of-pack labelling and gave the Centre two weeks to clarify its position, including whether judicial intervention would be required. Currently, packaged-food companies must declare total sugar, added sugar, total fat, saturated fat and sodium on labels, but there is no mandatory front-of-pack warning specifically identifying a product as high in fat, salt or sugar.
For the dairy industry, the potential shift could have implications for products such as flavoured milk, yoghurt, dairy desserts, cheese, buttermilk and other packaged dairy foods, depending on the final thresholds and serving-size methodology. Industry representatives have called for thresholds that are science-based, transparent and appropriate to Indian dietary patterns, while health activists have raised concerns that industry participation could further delay implementation.
If adopted, the framework would make nutrition information considerably more visible at the point of purchase—potentially changing product formulation, packaging, consumer communication and premiumisation strategies across India’s packaged-food and dairy sectors. (The Economic Times)
Source: Dairynews7x7 29 Aug, 2026 Read full story here
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