Supreme Court Order on Junk Food: The problem of obesity among children and adults has increased five times in the last 20 years. Between 2000 and 2022, the rate of obesity among school-going children and adolescents has increased by more than 2%. Now this rate has gone up to 10 percent. While hearing the PIL filed on this, the Supreme Court has indicated that no compromise can be made regarding the health of the people. The Central Government has ordered to put warning labels on the front of junk food packets. The court has given an ultimatum of two weeks to the central government on this subject.
A bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and K Vinod Chandran has issued an order mandating mandatory front-of-packet warning labels on junk food and ultra-processed packaged food.
Eating too much salt and sugar is dangerous for health
The Supreme Court says that eating food high in salt, sugar, saturated fats and high calories is dangerous for our health and any nutrition information should be shown to help in deciding what is important for health and what is not.
Junk food is also increasing the risk of diseases
Health experts are increasingly concerned about the increasing consumption of junk food and ultra-processed foods. While hearing a PIL related to this issue, the Supreme Court has also expressed concern about its serious effects on health. In the PIL filed by NGO ‘3S and Our Health Society’, it was said that consumption of junk food is adversely affecting people’s health.
Petitioner’s lawyer Rajeev Shankar Dwivedi argued before the court that many years have passed since the earlier instructions of the Supreme Court in this direction, but effective steps have not been taken till now. He said that due to lack of adequate action by the government, the increasing consumption of junk food is becoming a matter of concern for people’s health.
The matter has come to light at a time when the government is not showing the expected speed in putting clear warning labels on the front of the packets of packaged and junk food products. The Supreme Court also emphasized that foods high in salt, sugar, saturated fat and calories can increase health risks in the long run. In such a situation, it is important for consumers to easily understand the nutritional information of any food product, so that they can choose better and healthy options for themselves.
Increasing consumption of ultra-processed foods
The market of ultra-processed foods is expanding rapidly in India. According to the Economic Survey 2025-26, between 2009 and 2023, the country’s ultra-processed food market registered a growth of more than 150 percent. During the same period, the problem of obesity has also increased manifold. Due to the increased availability of packaged snacks, sweet beverages, instant foods and other ultra-processed foods in the market, there has been a change in the eating habits of the people. Such foods often contain high amounts of salt, sugar and fat. Their continuous consumption is linked to increased risk of many health problems including obesity.
Will it be necessary to follow the court order?
The Supreme Court has said that it is good if the Center itself accepts this decision, otherwise we will issue further instructions. We do not accept the Centre’s arguments that it is not possible to be at par with international standards, especially those of developed countries. Justice JB Pardiwala said that this is the question which we are putting for the consideration of the Centre. In its order, the bench of Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice K Chandran has linked the issue of food security to the right to life under Article 21.
Consumers will get information through clear label
The purpose of placing clear warning labels on the front of packages is to provide consumers with easily accessible information about the amount of salt, sugar, fat and calories contained in a product. With this, people will be able to take more informed decisions while shopping. Amidst the increasing consumption of junk food and health concerns related to it, such information is being considered an important step towards public health.