How easy should it be to understand, at the supermarket, if what we are about to buy contains too much sugar, salt or fat? In India this question is at the center of a clash between health authorities, activists and the food industry. The government wanted to introduce clearly visible warning signs on the packaging, but the industry lobbies opposed it, arguing that these labels would be ineffective and misleading.
Reuters reconstructed what happened behind the scenes, examining audio recordings of the meeting between the regulator and industry representatives, as well as hundreds of documents and testimonies from executives and experts. A story that brings the issue of transparency of packaged foods and the differences between what multinationals sell in different countries back to the fore.
To understand the problem, just start with a can of Fanta. According to the investigation published by Reuters, a can sold in London contains 63 calories, while the same brand marketed in India contains about three times more sugar. Furthermore, the Indian formula includes artificial colors that in Europe would require a strict health warning, while in India they are only indicated in microscopic characters on the back of the can.
This doesn’t mean the drink is outlawed, but it highlights a huge double standard: the ingredients, quantities and level of transparency offered to consumers vary radically depending on the market and local regulations. A disparity that explains why the Indian regulator was trying to make amends.
India wanted to put a red sticker on the packaging
For years the Indian regulator, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), has been discussing the introduction of more visible nutritional information on the front of packages.
The goal is simple: to allow shoppers to quickly understand if a product contains high quantities of sugar, salt or fat, without necessarily having to turn over the package and read a long nutritional table.
The system being considered featured colored warnings, with red used to signal high levels of certain nutrients. A sort of nutritional traffic light capable of immediately attracting the consumer’s attention.
Interpretative labeling systems of this type are already present, in different ways, in various countries. According to Reuters, around 20 countries have adopted front-label labels that help interpret nutritional information, for example by highlighting high sugar contents in red.
What happened then in India? Pressure from the food lobbies has arrived. The issue became particularly interesting after a March 19 meeting between the Indian regulator and representatives of the food industry.
Reuters was able to review audio recordings and documents from the meeting and reports that industry representatives objected to the warning labels, arguing that they could be confusing and ineffective. The companies also called on the regulator to focus more on portion control rather than symbols and warnings on the front of packs.
During the meeting, Mili Bhattacharya, a senior executive at Coca-Cola India, disputed the usefulness of the labels, arguing that it would be too simplistic to think that a symbol on the package could significantly change the habits of a person who does not already read ingredient lists.
In August, the FSSAI said it had dropped the proposal to introduce colored warnings on the front of packs. In their place he proposed a decidedly less immediate solution, namely a black and white nutritional table with information relating to sugars, fats and salt. And here one of the most controversial aspects of the story emerges: the regulator’s proposal was scaled down after the industry had expressed strong opposition.
The authority argued that the colored labels did not sufficiently take into account the characteristics of Indian cuisine, which the regulator said uses more intense flavors than Western cuisine. However, the decision ended up being examined by the Indian Supreme Court after an appeal lodged by public health activists.
There’s also a very real reason why color labels might worry the industry. Nearly 80% of products in India’s packaged food and beverage market, worth more than $100 billion, could be considered high in fat, sugar and salt, according to estimates cited by Reuters.
At the March meeting, Deepak Jolly of the Indian Food & Beverage Association noted that, with a color warning system, food packaging would risk being virtually “awash in red.”
The paradox of labels: in Europe yes, in India no
There is an aspect of the story that makes you think. The same multinationals that opposed warning labels in India use similar systems in other markets.
Coca-Cola, together with its bottling partners, has voluntarily introduced traffic light labels in around two dozen European markets. As Reuters reports, Coca-Cola HBC considers them a tool capable of offering consumers clear and transparent nutritional information.
Nestlé has also been using an interpretative nutritional labeling system in the United Kingdom since 2013, which allows the content of certain nutrients to be identified more quickly.
The contrast is therefore clear: more immediate and easily readable nutritional information in some countries, while in India the attempt to introduce more visible front warnings has been strongly contested by the industry.
Coca-Cola and Nestlé, interviewed by Reuters, did not want to comment on the specific matter relating to India.
The “double standard” of recipes
Fanta is not an isolated case. As Reuters reports, multinationals often adapt the recipes of their products to different markets, a practice that fuels consumer discontent in India.
The case of KitKats is emblematic: those sold in India contain 4.5% cocoa solids, compared to at least 22% in the Australian version. Maggi noodles for the Indian market also use palm oil, while in the UK many versions are made with sunflower oil.
A difference that even affects baby food: Nestlé’s Cerelac has been sold in India for decades with added sugars, while the sugar-free version was already available in other countries. Only in 2024 did the company announce the introduction of the sugar-free formula in India too.
The game on labels is not over
The issue is still under consideration by the Indian Supreme Court, and the stakes are dramatic. Behind the technicalities of labels lies an unprecedented health emergency: according to a study published in the journal The Lancet, by 2050 approximately 450 million Indians could be obese or overweight.
In this scenario, the discussion goes beyond the confines of a simple red sticker on a packet of crisps. At the center there is a fundamental principle: when an industrial food is saturated with sugars, salt or fats, how immediate should it be for the consumer to notice it before putting it in the cart? The answer to this question will not only define the rules of the market, but the healthcare destiny of the next generations.
