Is the body meant to check bad food under pressure?
The Supreme Court asked the food safety regulator, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), whether corporate pressures were preventing it from implementing a mandatory labeling program for packaged items high in salt, sugar, or saturated fat content. The bench expressed concern over FSSAI's reluctance to abide by the court's order, questioning whether the country's citizens should remain healthy, particularly growing children.
The court also rejected FSSAI's argument that India should not aim to match international standards on food labeling, stating that India should not become an undeveloped country. FSSAI had approved new labelling guidelines in 2024, but the court emphasized that the purpose of the warnings was to inform consumers rather than prevent them from purchasing a particular product.
The court stressed the need to protect children from consuming unhealthy products, noting that many children are addicted to fats, sugars, and carbohydrates.
Written by urgent.news from The Economic Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
