Report

The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Centre to implement food safety regulations within three months, requiring clear and prominent display of key details on packaged food products. A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan firmly pressed the need for transparent labelling. “Do all of you have grandchildren?” Justice Pardiwala asked. “Then you know what Kurkure and Maggi are. Look at their packaging—there’s no real information.”

FSSAI Faces Pressure to Act

The Centre responded by stating that the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had received over 14,000 public comments on the proposed rules and had decided to revise them. FSSAI originally approved a plan in 2014 to require clear, bold labels showing total sugar, salt, and saturated fat on packaged food. However, enforcement has lagged for years.

Court Closes PIL with a Deadline

The Supreme Court closed the public interest litigation (PIL) after setting a firm deadline. The PIL had asked the Centre and states to make front-of-package warning labels mandatory to help consumers make healthier choices. Now, with the court’s order, the Centre must update and enforce the Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020, within three months.

Source: The Times of India