Supreme Court: Will fix timeline for FSSAI to enforce front-of-pack labelling
The Indian Supreme Court has rejected the FSSAI's proposed timeline for implementing front-of-pack food labeling, deeming the delay unreasonable. The court intends to set its own mandatory schedule to ensure public health regulations are enacted without further procrastination.
Why it matters
This intervention underscores the judiciary's role in enforcing public health standards and holding regulatory bodies accountable for implementation delays.
NEW DELHI: Supreme Court Monday refused to accept the timeline proposed by FSSAI for the implementation of front-of-pack labelling (FoPL) for food products, including four months' time for framing regulations and a 365-day voluntary implementation period for food businesses after notification, saying it was unreasonable and decided to fix the timeline for the food regulator.A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and K Vinod Chandran, however, made it clear to the regulator that it has to implement the court's order, which is in the national interest, in true spirit and not delay implementation. It asked why the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had fixed such a long timeframe to implement it as consultations with stakeholders had taken place in 2022."Why voluntary compliance for a year?... Why do you want to start afresh with the exercise of hearing and calling for objections?
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