FMCG companies in wait-and-watch mode on new labelling guidelines

SC gives Centre 3 months to finalise regulations

Consumer companies are awaiting clarity from the government after the Supreme Court asked the Centre to come up with guidelines on labelling as regards ingredients on the front part of packaged products.

 

According to sources in the know, there will be a meeting of industry executives on Friday to discuss the way forward.

 

A company executive said: “We are awaiting further clarity from the government on the new guidelines and once they are announced, companies will adhere to them.”

 

Another company executive said new labelling might require packaged foods companies to highlight the percentage of sugar, salt and fat contents in the product on the front of the pack.

 

This is not the first time the issue has come up. Last year, the Ministry of Commerce and Industries had issued an advisory to ecommerce companies to remove health food drinks from the category of health drinks.

 

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has been considering “front of pack labelling” (FoPL) and the government body has asked for recommendations from companies and industry bodies.

 

In early 2023, the FSSAI was making changes to the proposed draft policy and later invited fresh comments (after having asked for them once earlier) from doctors, public-health experts and consumer rights organisations for formulating the draft policy.

 

Another industry executive said some companies had begun giving information on the front of packs and the industry would follow the new guidelines.

 

“The draft guidelines were floated earlier and they just need to be finalised, so it should not take too long for the new set of guidelines to reach the market,” the executive added.

 

A Supreme Court Bench of Justice J B Pardiwala and Justice R Mahadevan on Wednesday gave the Centre three months to finalise rules on this. This was on a plea filed by 3S and Our Wealth Society through Advocate Rajiv Shankar Dvivedi. 

 

The plea sought directions from the court to the Centre to improve food labels so that warning labels indicated an excessive presence of added sugars, sodium, unhealthy fats, and other harmful substances. 

 

The Centre, during the hearing, also shared an affidavit submitted by the FSSAI, which said the body had received nearly 14,000 comments from the public on the proposed new labelling rules. Based on these inputs, the authority has decided to go ahead with amendments to the 2020 regulations.

 

During the hearing, Justice JB Pardiwala also highlighted the lack of clear information on food wrappers. 

What's on the label

- Industry expects labels may show % of sugar, salt, fat on packages

- FSSAI received ₹14,000 public comments on draft labelling rules

- Industry meeting scheduled for Friday to discuss implications

- SC order came on a plea seeking clearer warning labels for unhealthy ingredients