Food companies urge Supreme Court to rethink red warning labels, cite confusion with non-veg mark

Food companies have urged the Supreme Court to reconsider the proposed red warning labels on packaged foods, saying the colour could be confused with India’s mandatory non-vegetarian food mark, Reuters reported on Monday.

The All India Food Processors Association, which represents dozens of Indian and foreign food companies, raised the concern in a court filing dated September 24, which was reviewed by Reuters.

“The average Indian consumer is habituated to associating the colour red with the mandatory non-vegetarian identification mark,” the industry group said in the filing.

The group said it had also told the food regulator that “introducing another prominent red warning symbol may create confusion among consumers”.

Industry seeks changes to thresholds

India’s food regulator has proposed a red hexagon warning label on packaged food products that are high in salt, sugar or fat.

The proposal comes as India steps up its food safety measures, including nationwide raids against eateries amid concerns over poor hygiene and standards. The warning labels have also followed a heated public debate over the lack of such measures.

The industry group told the Supreme Court that it was not against front-of-pack warning labels, but said the thresholds must be decided scientifically. It objected to the “indiscriminate application of the thresholds presently proposed”.

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India is proposing a red warning when added sugar exceeds 3% of solid products by weight and fat exceeds 4.2%. The industry said these thresholds are stricter than those in many foreign markets.

The industry also reiterated that warnings should be based on consumption of a single serving of a product rather than 100 grams, as currently proposed.

“Indian foods are eaten in widely varying quantities, including approximately 10g of pickle, 15-20g of spread of condiments, 30g of bread,” the industry group said.

India steps up food regulation

The proposed warning labels come amid a broader push for stricter food regulation in India.

The government is also moving to ban junk food sales to children in schools and within 50 metres (164 feet) of schools. The measures will take India closer to stricter food regulation approaches adopted in Chile and Mexico.

The more than $100 billion food industry has mounted a multi-year campaign against the proposed warning labels.

India is a major growth market for global consumer companies including PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Mondelez and Nestle, as well as thousands of small Indian companies selling traditional savouries and sweets.

The Supreme Court is set to review the government’s proposal on Monday.