NEW DELHI, Sept 11 – India’s Supreme Court has directed the federal government to establish a clear plan for implementing food warning labels on packaged goods within the next 10 days. This ruling intensifies the urgency for New Delhi to adopt this important public health initiative.
Stricter rules would be introduced in a second phase, it said. The nationwide debate on food safety has intensified since Reuters reported last month that India’s government opted for a weaker labelling regime after lobbying by Coca-Cola, and groups backing Nestle and PepsiCo, which argued warning labels were ineffective. The Supreme Court has piled pressure on New Delhi to implement stricter warning labels following complaints from a health non-profit, amid a crackdown on food safety which has seen regulators raid eateries nationwide. The food regulator last month suggested a two-phased labelling programme, starting with red-coloured hexagonal warning labels on products that exceeded limits in at least two of three categories — added sugar, salt or saturated fat. Many companies, however, have implemented such measures voluntarily in European markets. India’s food and drinks industry has opposed the warning labels, calling them confusing and ineffective. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
“We are afraid that, absent a specific indication, the implementation of Phase II might take a backseat or be indefinitely postponed,” the Supreme Court said in an order late Thursday. “Assessment of consumer acceptability or giving the industry adequate time for reformulation cannot be reason enough for this uncertainty in time,” the court added. A government source said the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India will examine the order, but is willing to implement both phases in one go.
