A public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking the display of front side warning labels on packaged food items to indicate their salt, sugar and fat levels.
Filed through Advocate Rajiv Shankar Dvivedi, the petition contended that in view of the rise of diabetes and other lifestyle diseases in India, it was necessary for the Central government to mandate such labels.
Petitioner organisation ‘3S and Our Health Society’ submitted that the scientific community has underscored the dangerous D connection between increased consumption of junk foods and a heightened risk of diabetes, cancers, heart diseases, high blood pressure, mental health issues, and premature deaths. The pervasive marketing of these unhealthy products exacerbated the situation, leading to weight gain and elevated intake of sugars, salt, and saturated fat, it noted.
The plea contended that front-of-package labelling would serve as a powerful tool in empowering consumers to make informed choices about their diet while minimising the harmful impacts of food marketed by big corporates.
It would enable the citizens to easily identify and understand the nutritional content and harmful ingredients present in packaged food and beverages, thereby making healthier choices. While the FSSAI has already recognised the significance of FOPL, it was crucial to expedite regulations that mandate the usage of warning labels in prominent positions on packaging, it added.
The plea noted that by prominent indications of excessive presence of added sugars, sodium and saturated fats in packwged food products would help the consumers to easily identify unhealthy food items and make healthier dietary decisions.
It said warning labels would act as a deterrent for excessive consumption and contribute towards raising public awareness about the adverse health consequences associated with consuming such products.
The petitioner organisation contended that it wrote to the Union Health Ministry for expedited directions in this regard, but to no avail.