Too weak, too strict: India's food warning labels draw fire from all sides

NEW DELHI, Sept 2: The Indian government is facing fierce opposition on proposed food warning labels from both health experts and food giants - activists say many items will escape scrutiny while companies warn that the strict thresholds will put red flags on a wide range of products.

In a setback to India's over $100 billion packaged food industry, which has long opposed any form of front-of-pack warnings, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) last week proposed a red-coloured hexagonal label for products that exceed limits in at least two of three nutrients - added sugar, salt or saturated fat.

The proposal came amid intense public anger and debate after Reuters reported that India's government had yielded to industry lobbying in March when Coca-Cola and groups backing Nestle and PepsiCo opposed having warning labels on the front of food and drinks packaging.�" REUTERS