NEW DELHI: With obesity, particularly among children, turning out to be a major health concern and number of overweight school-going kids and adolescents increasing from 2% to 10% between 2000 and 2022, Supreme Court has indicated that the health of people cannot be compromised and sent an ultimatum to Centre to implement its order for putting front-of-pack warning labels on junk food.“If the Union does it on its own, well and good, otherwise we shall proceed to pass further directions …We do not approve the stance of the Union when it says it is not possible to match with international standards, more particularly, developed countries. Should India remain as an underdeveloped country? That’s the question we are putting forward for the Union to consider,” a bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and K Vinod Chandran said in its order, as it linked the issue of food safety to right of life guaranteed under Article 21.
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The order, in response to a PIL filed by NGO ‘3S and Our HEALTH Society’ which moved SC through advocate Rajiv Shankar Dvivedi, comes as govt has seemed reluctant to implement front-of-pack warning labels on junk food. SC said food with high salt, sugar, saturated fat and calories could lead to health risks and clearer nutrition information must be displayed to help to make healthier choices. As per Economic Survey 2025-26, India’s ultra-processed food market increased by more than 150% between 2009 and 2023, while obesity reportedly doubling.
