NEW DELHI: Supreme Court on Tuesday told the Center and Food Safety and Standards Authority of India to give top priority to the health of citizens and not play to the interests of multinational companies. The court asked for implementation of a ‘Front-of-Pack Warning Labels’ system on packages of processed food to ensure clear, front-facing symbols listing the sugar, salt, saturated fats and calories, among others, contained in them.A bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and KV Viswanathan expressed dissatisfaction over FSSAI’s response which sought more time to do research and indicated that the court would intervene if it wasn’t done by the authorities.“You should not be concerned about multinational companies but about the right to health of citizens of the country,” the bench said granting three weeks’ time to conduct research. The court had in April last year directed the expert committee appointed by the Center to prepare its recommendation and submit a report regarding change in rules pertaining to the display of ingredients. The Union government submitted that according to an affidavit filed by FSSAI, it received 14,000 comments on the new rules and thus decided to amend the regulations. The court was hearing a PIL seeking directions from the Center and states to make the Front of Package Warning Label for processed foods mandatory.FSSAI had in 2014 approved a proposal to display nutritional information, including total sugar, salt and saturated fat content in bold lettering and prominent font size on labels of packaged food. “Along with empowering consumers to make healthier choices, the amendment would also contribute towards efforts to combat the rise of non-communicable diseases and promote public health and well-being,” the government statement had said.
