Delhi High Court flags regulatory contradiction on veg/non-veg labelling for toiletries
According to latest news reports, the amendment requires packaged commodities of vegetarian origin to carry a green dot and those of non-vegetarian origin to carry a red or brown dot on the principal display panel
18 Feb 2026 | By Sai Deepthi P
The Delhi High Court has directed drug and legal metrology authorities to take a joint view on whether mandatory vegetarian and non-vegetarian dot labelling should apply to toothpaste and other toiletry products.
According to news reports, the issue arises from a petition filed by Reckitt Benckiser (India) Limited challenging the 2014 amendment to Rule 6(8) of the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011. The amendment requires packaged commodities of vegetarian origin to carry a green dot and those of non-vegetarian origin to carry a red or brown dot on the principal display panel.
A Division Bench of Justices Prathiba M. Singh and Madhu Jain noted an apparent contradiction between the position of the Legal Metrology department and the Drug Technical Advisory Board (DTAB), which advises the Drug Controller General of India. While the labelling requirement exists under legal metrology rules, DTAB has reportedly treated such marking as voluntary for drugs and cosmetics.
The Court observed that the divergence requires reconciliation and directed the Director of the Drug Controller General of India and the Director of Legal Metrology to convene a joint meeting and arrive at a comprehensive decision on implementation.
The matter has been listed for further hearing on 27 April.