In snack-crazy India, global brands find looming warning labels unappetising
Firms resist front-of-pack labels on unhealthy packaged foods as India prioritises nutrition over taste amid rising diabetes cases
With an income per household well below the global average, Indians are keen consumers of cheap food products such as Nestlé-owned Maggi instant noodles and Coca-Cola Co’s Thums Up – giving big food manufacturers a huge market with little pressure to apply the food standards they adopt in many other countries.
Until now.
In a setback to the industry, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) said on Thursday it could introduce tougher red warning labels on food that exceeds government-set limits on added sugar, salt or saturated fat in one go, after Supreme Court judges raised questions about FSSAI’s initial plan for a phased introduction.
High sugar content is a particular risk in India, which accounts for about a quarter of all global cases of diabetes, which health experts have blamed partly on processed food. More than 101 million people in India are living with diabetes, while another 136 million have prediabetes, Danish drug maker Novo Nordisk said in July.
India’s packaged food market grew to US$137.25 billion in 2026, from US$129.18 billion in 2025, and is projected to reach US$238.83 billion by 2034, according to research firm IMARC Group.
