REGULATORY · INDIA
India court-ordered warning labels for micro/nano plastics on packaged water, salt and sugar
Change
Madras High Court ordered India’s Health Ministry and FSSAI to mandate red, size-10 label warnings on PET-bottled water and plastic-packed salt/sugar about possible micro/nano plastics, with a notification due within four weeks.
Why it matters
The Madras High Court directed the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to forewarn consumers about possible micro/nano plastics in packaged drinking water sold in PET bottles and in salt and sugar sold in plastic packs. The court specified the warning text and format: red font, size 10, stating the product “may contain micro/nano plastics.” The Ministry and FSSAI were ordered to issue an appropriate notification in compliance within four weeks, creating a defined regulatory timeline. The order effectively converts micro/nano plastics disclosure from a research/monitoring topic into a labeling compliance requirement for affected packaged staples.
Implications
- • New mandatory on-pack warning text/format for PET water and plastic-packed salt/sugar
- • Four-week court timeline compresses regulatory notification and industry changeover
- • Non-compliant inventory/labels may face heightened enforcement and legal exposure
- • Labeling may alter consumer risk perception for packaged water, salt and sugar
Who is affected
- • Packaged drinking water manufacturers and PET bottlers
- • Salt and sugar packers using plastic packaging
- • FSSAI and India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (rulemaking/enforcement)
- • Retailers/distributors holding inventory of affected packaged products
Source
Topics
World & Politics Policy & Regulation Law & Public Safety Court Rulings Compliance Agriculture Food & Beverages