Consumers in India are asking for clearer information about what is inside their packaged food. According to a recent LocalCircles survey, 80% of respondents want front-of-pack warning labels when a packaged food or beverage is high in even one of sugar, salt or saturated fat.
The findings come as the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has proposed introducing pictorial front-of-pack warnings for certain packaged foods and beverages.
What Is FSSAI Proposing?
FSSAI has proposed red, hexagonal warning labels carrying declarations such as “High Sugar,” “High Salt,” “High Fat” or “Highly Sweetened Beverage.”
Under the proposed two-phase approach, the first phase would apply warnings to products high in two or more of the specified nutrients, along with certain sweetened beverages. Products high in only one nutrient would be addressed in a later phase.
However, consumer feedback suggests that many people want the warnings to apply from the beginning—even when only one nutrient is present at a high level.
Consumers Want Warnings That Are Impossible to Miss
The survey indicates that consumers are not looking for warnings hidden in small print.
88% of respondents said the warning should be large, clearly visible and immediately noticeable on the front of the package.
This matters because consumers often make purchasing decisions quickly. A simple front-of-pack warning could make it easier to identify products that are particularly high in sugar, salt or fat without having to study the detailed nutrition table on the back.
Added Sugar vs Total Sugar: What Should Labels Show?
Another important issue is how these nutrients should be measured.
FSSAI's proposal focuses on added sugar, salt and added saturated fat. In the survey, 53% of respondents said warnings should instead be based on the total amount of sugar, salt and saturated fat present in a product. Another 37% wanted both added and total amounts to be displayed prominently.
This highlights a broader consumer demand: people want nutrition information that is straightforward and easy to understand.
Consumers Want Faster Implementation
The survey also found strong support for quicker implementation.
88% of respondents said front-of-pack warning requirements should be implemented within six months once the rules are finalised.
The survey received more than 108,000 responses from household consumers across 328 districts, although the individual questions had different response counts.
Why Front-of-Pack Labels Matter
Nutrition information is useful only when consumers can understand and use it while making purchasing decisions.
Front-of-pack warnings could provide a quick visual signal about products containing high levels of certain nutrients. This may be particularly useful for frequently purchased packaged foods and beverages, where consumers may not always have the time or knowledge to interpret detailed nutrition panels.
At the same time, warning labels should complement—not replace—basic nutrition awareness. Consumers can benefit from looking at serving sizes, ingredients, total sugar, sodium and saturated fat while considering their overall diet.
What Happens Next?
The debate around front-of-pack labelling in India is now focused on several questions: Which products should carry warnings? Which nutrient thresholds should apply? Should warnings consider added or total nutrients? How prominent should the labels be? And how quickly should the rules be implemented?
The latest consumer survey sends a clear message: people want nutrition information to be simple, visible and available at the point of purchase.
As discussions around FSSAI's proposed labelling framework continue, the demand for clearer food information is likely to remain an important part of India's conversation around packaged food and consumer health.
