India's Food Safety and Standards Authority, known as FSSAI, is considering stricter red warning labels on foods that exceed government thresholds for added sugar, salt or saturated fat, after a Supreme Court judge questioned its original plan to phase in the measures gradually. The proposal has sparked a nationwide debate over how India became so heavily reliant on cheap packaged foods, while some major food companies sell the same branded products in overseas markets with different recipes or ingredients. Sugar has drawn particular attention, because data released by Novo Nordisk in July showed that more than 101 million people in India have diabetes and another 136 million are prediabetic, roughly a quarter of the world's patients. India's packaged food market is growing rapidly, with IMARC Group estimating its value rose to 137.25 billion dollars in 2026 from 129.18 billion dollars in 2025, and is likely to reach 238.83 billion dollars by 2034. A clear example is Nestlé's Maggi masala instant noodles, consumed in households and at roadside eateries across India about 6 billion times a year, with the recipe sold in India using palm oil while many versions in Britain use the more expensive sunflower oil, and KitKat sold in India containing less cocoa than the version in Australia. The All India Food Processors' Association estimates that if India adopts the proposed labeling rules, as much as 80% of packaged foods could be flagged as high in fat, sugar or salt, while Chile, which began enforcing its food labeling law in 2016, saw purchases of sugary drinks fall 23.7% after the rules took effect.
Nestle S.A.India's FSSAI red warning labels on high sugar/salt/fat foods could flag much of the packaged food market, hitting Nestle's Maggi noodles and KitKat sold in India.
Novo Nordisk A/S