India wanted warning labels on chip packets, soda but big food fought back

A can of Fanta sold in London has 63 calories. Buy the same brand in India, and it contains three times as much sugar. It also includes artificial dye, whose presence in food products in Europe requires a prominent health warning.

In India, the colourant’s presence is noted merely in small print on the back of the can. That suits some of the world’s biggest companies, which have long resisted Indian efforts to mandate nutritional warnings on the front of packaged products.

Consumer giants like Coca-Cola, which makes Fanta, appear to have the advantage. Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) said in August that it had abandoned a push for colourful warnings on the front of food packaging.