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🇮🇳 India /Health & Science

Indian health activists challenge proposed food warning rules in court

From Hindustan Times · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Newswire Unnamed sources In the courts
  • Indian health group 3S And Our Health challenged a proposal requiring red warning labels only when packaged foods exceed limits for at least two of three nutrients.
  • The group called the two-nutrient requirement an industry-friendly loophole, while the government said it plans stricter warnings for individual nutrients in a second phase.
  • The Supreme Court is due to hear the complaint on September 10 as activists, industry groups and the government contest the labeling plan.

India’s proposed food warning system has drawn its first formal court challenge, with health activists arguing that the plan could leave consumers without warnings on products high in just one harmful nutrient.

The nonprofit 3S And Our Health filed the complaint in the Supreme Court, which is considering petitions from activists, industry and the government. The group said the proposal created an “industry-friendly loophole for unconscionable profit” that could exempt many harmful products.

India has proposed a red hexagonal warning label when a food exceeds limits for at least two of three nutrients: added sugar, salt or saturated fat. Rajiv Shankar Dvivedi, a lawyer for the nonprofit, said a product high in sugar alone still posed a diabetes risk.

A product that is high in sugar alone remains a diabetes risk.

· Rajiv Shankar DvivediThe lawyer representing 3S And Our Health argued that the proposed two-nutrient threshold could leave dangerous products without warnings.

The complaint is scheduled for a September 10 hearing. Reuters reviewed the filing, which was not publicly available. The proposal has unsettled India’s packaged food and drink industry, worth more than $100 billion, after years of opposition to front-of-pack warnings. Industry groups have also objected, saying most packaged products could receive warning labels and face weaker demand.

A government source said the activists’ concerns were unfounded because countries typically introduce labeling rules in phases. India’s second phase would require warnings for each concerning nutrient, the source said. No timetable has been set for the phases, and the government is awaiting the Supreme Court’s view because the issue is before the courts.

The debate comes as India faces a projected rise in overweight and obesity. A Lancet study estimated that 180 million Indian adults were overweight or obese in 2021, with the figure projected to reach 450 million by 2050. The plan also follows public anger after Reuters reported that the government had yielded to industry lobbying in March, when Coca-Cola and groups supporting Nestlé and PepsiCo opposed front-of-pack warnings.

Industry-friendly loophole for unconscionable profit

· 3S And Our HealthThe nonprofit used this phrase in its Supreme Court complaint to describe the proposed labeling requirement.
About this summary

Originally published by Hindustan Times in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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