{"id":1759,"date":"2026-08-29T08:33:31","date_gmt":"2026-08-29T08:33:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/2026\/08\/29\/fssai-proposes-hexagonal-front-of-pack-warnings\/"},"modified":"2026-08-29T08:33:31","modified_gmt":"2026-08-29T08:33:31","slug":"fssai-proposes-hexagonal-front-of-pack-warnings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/2026\/08\/29\/fssai-proposes-hexagonal-front-of-pack-warnings\/","title":{"rendered":"FSSAI Proposes Red Hexagonal Front\u2011of\u2011Pack Warnings After Supreme Court Criticism"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<!-- Quick Adsense WordPress Plugin: http:\/\/quickadsense.com\/ -->\n<div class=\"9fece8afa224fd09e54b043d0febfb58\" data-index=\"1\" style=\"float: none; margin:10px 0 10px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- NR ATF -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8898941184964366\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"4839033563\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n<p>The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has filed a six\u2011page compliance affidavit before a Supreme Court bench, proposing the introduction of red\u2011coloured hexagonal front\u2011of\u2011pack (FoP) warning labels on packaged foods that are high in added sugar, added saturated fat or salt. The move comes after the Court criticised the regulator for not providing clear, easily understandable warnings on such products.<\/p>\n<h2>Design and Content of the Proposed Labels<\/h2>\n<p>According to the affidavit, the warning would be pictorial and displayed in a red hexagon that stands out on the front of the package. The label would carry concise statements such as \u201cHigh Fat\u201d, \u201cHigh Sugar\u201d, \u201cHigh Salt\u201d or \u201cHighly Sweetened Beverage\u201d, depending on the nutrient profile of the product. To ensure visibility, the font size of the warning would be one point larger than the font used in the nutrition information table on the back of the pack.<\/p>\n<p>The thresholds that trigger the warning are to be based on the Dietary Guidelines for Indians, 2024, issued by the ICMR\u2011National Institute of Nutrition. Under the proposal, a product that exceeds the limits for any two or more of the specified nutrients \u2013 added saturated fat, added sugar and salt \u2013 would be required to display the red hexagonal warning. The label would also apply to sweetened beverages that meet the high\u2011sugar criteria.<\/p>\n<h2>Two\u2011Phase Implementation Plan<\/h2>\n<p>FSSAI has outlined a two\u2011phase rollout to give the food industry time for reformulation while safeguarding consumers\u2019 right to clear information. In Phase\u202fI, the warning regime would cover products that are high in two or more of the targeted nutrients as well as the specified sweetened beverages. Phase\u202fII would expand the requirement to products that are high in any one of the nutrients.<\/p>\n<p>The regulator emphasised that the mechanism is intended to help vulnerable groups, particularly children, make more informed food choices. By phasing the implementation, the authority aims to balance public health objectives with the practicalities of product reformulation.<\/p>\n<h2>Exemptions and Existing Regulations<\/h2>\n<p>The proposal explicitly exempts single\u2011ingredient foods and items that are inherently rich in fat, sugar or salt. The affidavit lists examples such as ghee, edible oil, salt, sugar, jaggery and honey. While these products would not carry the new front\u2011of\u2011pack warning, they would continue to be subject to other food safety and labelling regulations currently in force.<\/p>\n<h2>Supreme Court Intervention and Legal Background<\/h2>\n<p>The filing follows a sharp rebuke from a two\u2011judge Supreme Court bench comprising Justice J.B. Pardiwala and Justice K. Vinod Chandran. The bench had earlier questioned FSSAI\u2019s decision to forgo interpretive front\u2011of\u2011pack labels that would clearly indicate levels of sugar, salt and saturated fat. The Court noted that the regulator\u2019s earlier preference for displaying daily recommended limits in a pictorial format, based on the 2024 ICMR\u2011NIN Dietary Guidelines, was not easily relatable for the average consumer.<\/p>\n<p>Justices Pardiwala and Chandran also raised concerns that the regulator might be yielding to pressure from the food industry and questioned the Union\u2019s stance that international standards could not be applied in India. Their remarks highlighted worries about the health of children, who are especially attracted to packaged foods.<\/p>\n<p>In response to the Court\u2019s observations, the FSSAI withdrew its earlier decision against imposing warning labels and submitted the current proposal. The bench warned that a judicial order would follow if the regulator failed to devise appropriate regulations.<\/p>\n<h2>Public Interest Litigation and Stakeholder Comments<\/h2>\n<p>The Supreme Court hearing was part of a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by the non\u2011governmental organisation 3S And Our Health Society. Advocate Rajiv Shankar Dwivedi, representing the petitioner, said that while the FSSAI\u2019s decision marks progress, it is not entirely satisfactory. He indicated that the petitioner plans to file a rejoinder after reviewing public comments on the proposal.<\/p>\n<p>The case is recorded as 3S AND OUR HEALTH SOCIETY v UNION OF INDIA AND ANR, case number 15 MA 1177\/2025, filed in W.P.(C) No. 437\/2024.<\/p>\n<p>Overall, the proposed red\u2011hexagonal warnings represent a significant shift in India\u2019s food\u2011labeling landscape, aiming to provide clearer, more prominent information to consumers, especially children, about products high in sugar, saturated fat and salt. The two\u2011phase approach seeks to give manufacturers time to adjust while ensuring that public health considerations are addressed promptly.<\/p>\n\n<div style=\"font-size: 0px; height: 0px; line-height: 0px; margin: 0; padding: 0; clear: both;\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has submitted a proposal for red\u2011hexagonal front\u2011of\u2011pack warnings on foods high in sugar, saturated fat or salt, following a Supreme Court rebuke.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1760,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[299],"tags":[1682,1684,1683,1685,335],"class_list":["post-1759","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-food-labeling","tag-front-of-pack-warnings","tag-fssai","tag-nutrition-policy","tag-supreme-court","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1759","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1759"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1759\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1760"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1759"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1759"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1759"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}