FSSAI seeks three-month extension for FOPL law
This request comes as the food regulator has passed its original July deadline to frame the new regulations.
17 Jul 2025 | By WhatPackaging? Team
Packaged food companies in India are only mandated to print nutrient information on the back of their packs
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has approached the Supreme Court, requesting an additional three months to finalise a stringent law on Front-of-Pack Labelling (FOPL).
The FOPL initiative forms a critical part of proposed reform measures aimed at improving consumer information. It suggests mandatory pictorial representations, such as traffic light signals or star ratings, designed to indicate the health profile of food items.
The core objective of FOPL is to provide consumers with easily understandable visual information regarding the nutritional content of packaged foods, specifically warning about potential harmful ingredients like fats, salt, and sugar, which are often linked to cardiovascular problems, diabetes, and other health issues.
This proposal, however, has faced years of discussion and significant resistance from food companies, leading to its prior deferment.
The urgency surrounding FOPL resurfaced in April when the Supreme Court directed an expert committee to submit its recommendations within three months. This directive specifically pertained to the proposed introduction of mandatory warning labels on the front of packaged foods by amending the existing Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020. In its recent writ petition, the FSSAI indicated that the expert committee requires additional time to finalise its comprehensive report. The food authority also highlighted the extensive and time-consuming procedures involved in formalising such a significant new regulation.
Currently, packaged food companies in India are only mandated to print nutrient information on the back of their packs. This contrasts with global trends, where front-pack labelling has demonstrably proven effective in reducing the consumption of unhealthy foods.
The implementation of FOPL in India is expected to impact packaging design and print requirements across the vast packaged food sector, necessitating clear compliance from manufacturers to align with the new visual communication standards.