'Government should decide in three months', Supreme Court's direction regarding warning labels on packaged food
Warning Label On Packaged Food: Hearing the petition for putting warning labels on packaged food, the Supreme Court has directed the Central Government to implement the recommendations in the next three months. Justice Pardiwala said that he is disposing of this petition with the direction to the expert committee to give its recommendations in three months.
On hearing the plea for placing a warning label on packaged foods, the Supreme Court has asked the Central Government to implement the suggestions within three months' time.
These petitions were decided on in the same timeframe with the request for disposing the petition for amending Warning Labeling and Display Regulation, 2020.
A division bench of Justice JB Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan held in the petition of Public Charitable Trust Threes and Our Health Society for issuance of warning on packets of packaged foods that citizens are entitled to take their decision on the basis of full information on the foods consumed.
Justice Pardiwala has stated that he is disposing of the petition with the instruction to the expert panel to provide its suggestions within three months.
When the matter was heard, the Center drew the attention of the court to the affidavit, which states that about 14,000 comments have been received in the form of objections from the public including stakeholders and the Center has decided to amend the Warning Labeling and Display Regulation 2020.
The PIL seeks judicial intervention to direct the Center, states, and union territories to make the implementation of packaged foods (front-of-package warning labels) mandatory. The petition states that excessive amounts of salt, sugar in packaged food grains make people suffer from diabetes, obesity and heart disease and some types of cancer. One in every four Indians is affected by such diseases.
