Red dots on the snack aisle – how new food labels will change your grocery run

On a grocery run in Gurugram, a parent picks up a “healthy” cereal, a “zero sugar” flavoured drink and a packet of “baked, not fried” chips.

- TDG NETWORK

But under India’s forthcoming front-of-pack nutrition labelling (FOPL) rules, these packs may soon sport red dots or triangles to signal high levels of sugar, salt or saturated fat. The Supreme Court, frustrated by years of delay, directed the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) in April 2025 to finalise FOPL regulations within three months. Advocates say FOPL will empower consumers; industry groups call it alarmist.

Front-of-pack labelling is a simple, interpretive system that places symbols or colour codes on the front of packaged food to warn consumers when a product is high in salt, sugar or unhealthy fats. The concept was proposed in 2014 following a Delhi High Court order on junk food in schools, but the FSSAI delayed implementation for over a decade. In July 2025, civil society organisations accused the regulator of stalling and noted that an expert committee had yet to release its report despite 14,000 public comments. The Supreme Court's April 2025 order forced FSSAI to set a timeline, and the regulator has since committed to finalising the rules by July 2025.

Inside the new label rulebook