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SC asks FSSAI to file report on draft amendment to Labelling and Display norms
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Tuesday, 22 April, 2025, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Ashwani Maindola, New Delhi
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The Supreme Court of India has asked the FSSAI to file a status report in three months with respect to the consultations on the draft amendment of FSS Labelling and Display Regulations.
The draft issued by the food regulator aimed at regulating the ‘Front of the Pack Labelling’ and initiated the ‘Indian Nutrition Rating’.
FSSAI, in its affidavit, has stated that it has proactively undertaken measures to implement Front-of-Pack Nutrition Labelling requirements and the proposed amendment in the FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020, include the proposed Indian Nutrition Rating (INR) for FOPNL.
“This format is in line with global practices and adopts a star-rating system that presents simplified nutrition information on the Front-of-Pack of pre-packaged foods and provides information on the overall nutritional value of the food and/or on nutrients included in the FOPNL. It is designed to provide consumers with simplified, easy-to-understand information on nutritional content, assisting them in making healthier dietary choices,” reads the affidavit.
According to the FSSAI, the INR system uses a straightforward, star-based rating scale from 0.5 to 5 stars, where a higher star rating indicates a healthier product. This design aims to simplify the complex nutritional content of packaged foods, enabling consumers to assess products at a glance and encourage healthier dietary decisions.
"The rating is based on factors such as energy content, sugar, salt, saturated fats and beneficial components like protein, fibre and certain vitamins and minerals. The INR model integrates both critical nutrients (such as added sugars, sodium, and saturated fats) and positive components (like fibre, protein, and certain legumes and nuts) in its scoring system. This balanced approach helps consumers understand the overall healthiness of a product, rather than focusing solely on its negative aspects. The inclusion of positive nutrients, however, is regulated through caps to prevent nutritionally poor products from receiving disproportionately high ratings simply due to small amounts of positive ingredients. This structure ensures that the rating accurately reflects the product's true health impact, preventing any potential manipulation of ratings," reads the affidavit filed by FSSAI.
FSSAI, in response to a PIL, has submitted to the SC that 1,4000 comments were received against the draft from the public including stakeholders and an expert committee has been constituted to examine these comments.
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