The Parliamentary Standing Committee has urged FSSAI to notify the long-pending Front-of-Pack Nutrition Labelling regulations within a defined timeline, while recommending mandatory added sugar disclosures on infant and children’s food products and stronger oversight of processed foods
A Parliamentary Standing Committee has asked the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to notify the long-pending Front-of-Pack Nutrition Labelling (FOPNL) regulations within a defined timeline, saying the delay has deprived consumers of simple and effective nutrition information. The panel also sought mandatory front-of-pack disclosures on added sugar for foods marketed to infants and children and recommended stronger measures to curb excessive sugar consumption.
The recommendations are part of the Committee’s report, Regulation of Packaged Commodities with Specific Reference to Sugar Content in Baby Products and other Food Products, which was tabled in Parliament on Thursday. The report focuses on improving transparency in packaged food labelling and enabling consumers to make informed dietary choices.
The Committee noted that the draft FOPNL regulations were issued on September 13, 2022, and that FSSAI has since received more than 14,000 stakeholder comments. While acknowledging the consultation process, it said the regulator should complete the exercise and notify the regulations without further delay.
“The Committee observed that over two years have lapsed since the draft notification, and the continued delay in finalising the regulations has resulted in the absence of simplified and interpretative front-of-pack information, particularly in relation to sugar content.”
The panel said growing consumption of packaged and ultra-processed foods, coupled with the increasing burden of obesity and other diet-related non-communicable diseases, has made consumer-friendly nutrition information more important than ever. It recommended that the FOPNL framework prominently disclose key nutritional parameters, including sugar, salt and saturated fat, in an easily understandable format.
For infant and children’s food products, the Committee proposed mandatory front-of-pack declarations showing the amount of added sugar in grams per serving, wherever applicable, along with its percentage contribution to the daily energy requirement of the relevant age group. It said such disclosures would allow parents and caregivers to make more informed purchasing decisions.
The report also criticised the existing labelling framework for relying largely on numerical disclosures, such as grams and percentages of the recommended dietary allowance, which many consumers may not easily interpret while buying food products.
“The Committee further observed that the current labelling framework relies primarily on numerical disclosures, such as grams and percentages of the recommended dietary allowance, which may not be readily understood by all consumers at the point of purchase.”
To improve readability, the Committee recommended that the regulations adopt interpretative front-of-pack labels, including a three-colour coding system—red, yellow and green—to indicate high, medium and low sugar levels, or suitable warning labels for products containing excessive sugar. It said such visual indicators could provide immediate guidance to consumers at the point of purchase.
Beyond labelling, the panel urged FSSAI to strengthen surveillance and enforcement relating to sugar levels in processed and infant food products. It also called for sustained public awareness campaigns to improve understanding of nutrition labels, stating that effective implementation of the FOPNL framework would reinforce consumer protection and encourage healthier dietary choices.
