New Delhi: The Supreme Court docket on Tuesday requested the Meals Security and Requirements Authority of India (FSSAI) to significantly think about front-of-pack warning labels on packaged meals, citing issues over extreme sugar, saturated fat and sodium content material.
The apex courtroom stated that whereas corporations could resist such measures, the regulator should place public well being above business concerns.
The observations come amid nearer regulatory scrutiny of meals labelling practices. FSSAI has been trying to flag deceptive or inadequately substantiated well being and diet claims throughout packaged meals classes, issuing advisories and stepping up checks on edible oils, honey, drinks, nutraceuticals and ready-to-eat meals.
A bench comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and KV Viswanathan stated a prima facie case had been made that such disclosures might serve public well being pursuits.
Noting that resistance from meals corporations can not outweigh the regulator’s obligation to guard shopper well being, the courtroom cautioned that if FSSAI fails to behave, judicial intervention might comply with. It requested the regulator to file its response inside 4 weeks.
The courtroom was listening to a public curiosity litigation (PIL) searching for obligatory front-facing warnings. The PIL had alleged that current back-of-pack diet panels have been inadequate for customers to make knowledgeable selections, notably amid rising consumption of packaged meals.
These labels intention to point the degrees of sugar, salt and saturated fat in meals merchandise, serving to customers make more healthy dietary selections.
The petition had contended that diet data displayed on the again of packages is insufficient for knowledgeable shopper decision-making. Absence of such labels might mislead customers in regards to the well being worth of meals, exacerbating public well being points resembling weight problems, diabetes and cardiovascular illnesses, it added.
Even the Bombay Excessive Court docket is seized of one other PIL that wishes most cancers warning labels to be printed on alcohol bottles, just like cigarettes. The petition has stated nations resembling Eire and South Korea have warnings linking alcohol consumption to most cancers.
As reported earlier by ET, FSSAI was additionally in talks with liquor corporations to implement new and extra distinguished warning labels on liquor bottles.
Present World Well being Group pointers state that “with regards to alcohol consumption, there isn’t any protected quantity that doesn’t have an effect on well being”.>
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