FSSAI front-of-pack labels: Britannia, PepsiCo, HUL rework recipes before red warnings

Some of India's largest packaged-food companies, including Britannia, PepsiCo and Hindustan Unilever (HUL), are looking to cut sugar, salt and fat in their products as stricter front-of-pack labelling rules draw closer, according to a report published on Tuesday, 10 November 2026. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has proposed red warning labels on the front of packets for foods high in fat, sugar or salt. The Supreme Court, which is hearing a case on the labels, has questioned the regulator's proposed timeline and reserved its order. Britannia's managing director, Rakshit Hargave, acknowledged the challenge during the company's second-quarter earnings call.

The label on the back of a packet already lists nutrients, but few shoppers read the small print. Front-of-pack labels put a simple message where the buyer looks first. India's earlier draft, from 2022, proposed a rating system called the "Indian Nutrition Rating". The red warning format now before the Supreme Court is blunter: it tells the buyer plainly that a biscuit, snack or drink is high in sugar, salt or fat. The reports from India suggest that the prospect alone is already pushing manufacturers to change recipes so their products avoid carrying the warnings.

For Indian kitchens, this touches everyday foods: biscuits with tea, instant noodles, namkeen and chips, breakfast cereals, flavoured milk and fizzy drinks. These are the foods health experts link to rising obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure in India. Traditional Indian diets built on whole grains, pulses and home-cooked meals sit at the other end of that spectrum, and the labels may make that contrast clearer to shoppers.

The timing remains the open question. FSSAI's own plan would give companies around 16 months before compliance becomes compulsory. Health experts and industry are divided on how quickly the labels should come in, with companies seeking time to reformulate. The Supreme Court's reserved order will decide which side's timeline prevails, and the court has said any order it passes would bind the regulator.

Reformulation is not simple. Sugar and salt affect taste, texture and shelf life, and replacing them can raise costs or change a product people know. Companies have options such as smaller packs, reduced-sugar variants and different sweeteners, but each brings its own trade-offs. Whether shoppers accept the changed products will matter as much as the rule itself.

Peepals calculation: Under FSSAI's single-phase proposal, about four months of drafting plus a year of voluntary compliance means roughly 16 months (4 + 12) before the labels become compulsory. Our calculation from the reported figures.

Short-term: Shoppers may begin to see reduced-sugar or reduced-salt versions of familiar snacks and drinks, and smaller packs, as companies prepare.

Long-term: If the red warnings become compulsory, they could change what Indian families buy and push the whole packaged-food industry towards less sugar, salt and fat.

Who is affected: Consumers, especially parents buying snacks for children; packaged-food and beverage makers; small food businesses that will also need to comply; and public-health bodies.

What to watch next: The Supreme Court's reserved order on the timeline for front-of-pack warning labels.

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