NEW DELHI, Sept 11 (Reuters) - India's Supreme Court has ordered the federal government to provide a clear pathway for the implementation of food warning labels on packaged products within 10 days, ratcheting up pressure on New Delhi to implement the public health measure.
The Supreme Court has piled pressure on New Delhi to implement stricter warning labels following complaints from a health non-profit, amid a crackdown on food safety which has seen regulators raid eateries nationwide.
The food regulator last month suggested a two-phased labelling programme, starting with red-coloured hexagonal warning labels on products that exceeded limits in at least two of three categories — added sugar, salt or saturated fat. Stricter rules would be introduced in a second phase, it said.
"We are afraid that, absent a specific indication, the implementation of Phase II might take a backseat or be indefinitely postponed," the Supreme Court said in an order late Thursday.
"Assessment of consumer acceptability or giving the industry adequate time for reformulation cannot be reason enough for this uncertainty in time," the court added.
A government source said the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India will examine the order, but is willing to implement both phases in one go.
The nationwide debate on food safety has intensified since Reuters reported last month that India's government opted for a weaker labelling regime after lobbying by Coca-Cola, and groups backing Nestle and PepsiCo, which argued warning labels were ineffective. Many companies, however, have implemented such measures voluntarily in European markets.
India's food and drinks industry has opposed the warning labels, calling them confusing and ineffective.
(Reporting by Aditya Kalra; Editing by Stephen Coates)
