FSSAI Proposes Red Front-Pack Warnings For Foods High In Fat, Sugar And Salt

New Delhi, August 28, 2026: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has proposed prominent red warning labels on packaged foods high in fat, sugar or salt, following directions from the Supreme Court to act against unhealthy food products.

Under the proposal, warnings such as "HIGH FAT", "HIGH SUGAR" and "HIGH SALT" would appear in red hexagonal boxes on the front of food packs to help consumers easily identify products containing high levels of specified nutrients.

FSSAI outlined the proposal in an affidavit filed before the Supreme Court, which had directed the food regulator to make such labels mandatory while hearing a plea linking excessive consumption of these nutrients to health problems including diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular diseases and certain cancers.

Red Warning Labels Proposed On Front Of Packs

"In this regard, FSSAI has prepared a proposal for providing information relating to added sugar, added fat and salt in pictorial form on the Front-of-Pack (FoP). The proposal is intended to provide a simple, prominent and easily comprehensible warning to consumers regarding food products which are high in specified nutrients of concern," FSSAI said in its affidavit.

The regulator proposed that products high in any two or more specified nutrients, including saturated fat, added sugar and salt, display the warning in a red-coloured hexagonal shape.

"The warning label shall indicate the applicable declaration(s), such as HIGH FAT, HIGH SUGAR, HIGH SALT, and/or HIGHLY SWEETENED BEVERAGE", as the case may be, to enable consumers to readily identify products high in the specified nutrients," it said.

FSSAI also proposed that the warning be displayed in a font larger than the one used in the nutrition information table on the back of the pack.

Some Single-Ingredient Foods May Be Exempt

The regulator proposed exemptions for certain categories of food.

"Single-ingredient food products and food products which are inherently rich in fat, sugar or salt, such as ghee, edible oil, salt, sugar, jaggery and honey, subject to the applicability of other requirements under the food safety and labelling regulations" can be exempted, it said.

FSSAI has recommended implementing the labelling system in phases to "facilitate consumer acceptability and provide industry adequate time for reformulation".

In the first phase, warnings would apply to products high in two or more specified nutrients, including added fat, added sugar and salt, as well as specified sweetened beverages.

The second phase would extend the warning requirement to products high in any one of these nutrients.

Thresholds To Follow Dietary Guidelines

FSSAI said the classification of products would be based on thresholds laid down in the Dietary Guidelines for Indians, 2024, issued by the Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR-NIN).

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"That for this regulation, a food product shall be considered High in Fat, Sugar and/or Salt where, based on the nutrients-of-concern thresholds specified under the Dietary Guidelines for Indians, 2024 issued by ICMR-NIN, the food product is high in any two or more of the following nutrients: a) added fat; b) added sugar and salt," it added.

The proposed front-of-pack system is intended to give consumers a more visible warning about packaged foods containing high levels of nutrients associated with lifestyle-related health risks.

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