Nestle Pushes For Industry Voice In India's Front-Of-Pack Labelling Rules

Nestle chief executive Philipp Navratil has said Indian authorities should consult companies while drafting rules for front-of-pack health labelling on food and beverages, to ensure the process is done "scientifically." His comments come amid a public debate in India over the absence of such labelling requirements.

The Indian government has for years attempted to introduce warning labels on food packaging but dropped a proposal in March after opposition from companies such as Coca-Cola and industry groups representing Nestle, Reuters reported earlier this week. Following the report, consumers and health experts in India expressed concern on social media, noting that companies including Coca-Cola and Nestle have voluntarily used similar labels in several European markets for years.

In an interview with the Economic Times published on Thursday, Navratil said Nestle supports front-of-pack labelling for products high in sugar, salt and fat, but that manufacturers should have a say in shaping the rules. "It's always good to have a voice from companies; there might be different views (on the subject). We can be part of the debate in terms of making sure it's scientifically done," he said.

Regulatory Back-and-Forth

India's Supreme Court, hearing petitions filed by health activists, has criticised the central government for delays in implementing front-facing warning labels.

According to industry estimates, nearly 80% of products in India's packaged food and beverages market, valued at more than $100 billion, could be classified as high in fat, sugar or salt.

FSSAI had considered colour-coded, interpretive warning labels since 2017 to highlight high levels of sugar, salt or fat. However, after a meeting with food industry executives in March, the regulator moved away from this approach. It told the Supreme Court in August that matching international labelling standards was "difficult," and has instead proposed a black-and-white table listing sugar, fat and salt content.

In February, the court had asked regulators to consider warning systems such as Israel's red-and-green model, and later said "the world should know that India is very much concerned about the overall health of its citizens."

Product Differences Flagged

A separate Reuters report this week found that some companies formulate different versions of the same products across markets. A can of Fanta sold in London contains 63 calories, while the same-sized product in India has roughly three times the sugar and 185 calories. Nestle's standard KitKat sold in India contains 4.5% cocoa solids, compared with at least 22% cocoa in the milk chocolate version sold in Australia. All variants of Nestle's Maggi instant noodles sold in India use palm oil, while several versions sold in Britain use sunflower oil. Some Maggi packets made in India but sold in Britain carry red front-of-pack warnings for high salt content.

At a March 19 meeting with regulators, Coca-Cola India executive Mili Bhattacharya reportedly said it was "very simplistic" to assume warning symbols alone would significantly change consumer diets, and argued that Indian doctors already educate patients about foods to avoid.

Dr Arun Gupta, convenor of Nutrition Advocacy in Public Interest, criticised Nestle's position. "Nestle's call for industry participation in India's labelling rules is a clear attempt to weaken public health policy. They have used warning labels in Europe since 2013 while their trade bodies fought them in India," he reportedly said.

The debate comes as India sees greater scrutiny of food marketing, with regulators ordering PepsiCo and other companies in July to stop using the term "energy drink" within 90 days. A Lancet study cited by Reuters estimated that 450 million Indians could be overweight or obese by 2050.