SC sets three-month deadline for Centre to roll out norms for packaged foods

The Supreme Court on Thursday has reportedly directed the Central government to finalise and implement food safety regulations within three months, making it mandatory for packaged food containers to display key nutritional information.

The order relates to proposed amendments to the Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020. A public interest litigation (PIL) had called for clear front-of-package warning labels to highlight ingredients like sugar, salt, and saturated fat.

During the hearing, the bench reportedly expressed concern about the lack of clear information on everyday packaged items commonly consumed by families pointing out that many popular products do not clearly state their nutritional content on the wrapper.

The court closed the PIL after being informed that the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is moving forward with amendments. As per reports, FSSAI received around 14,000 public comments on the draft regulations and is currently reviewing the feedback.

Although the FSSAI had approved a similar labelling proposal in 2014, full implementation has yet to take place. The Centre is now expected to notify the updated rules within the timeline set by the court.