India’s food safety regulator has proposed a ban on the addition of sucrose and fructose in food products intended for infants up to six months old, signaling a stricter regulatory stance on added sugars in early childhood nutrition. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) announced the measure on October 17, aiming to reduce infants’ exposure to added sugars and mitigate health risks associated with childhood obesity.

Under current regulations, lactose and glucose polymers are the preferred carbohydrate sources in infant nutrition products designed for children from birth to 24 months. Though sucrose and fructose are allowed, their inclusion is subject to specified limits. The proposed amendment would prohibit added sucrose and fructose entirely in products for infants under six months, tightening the parameters on acceptable sugar content.

This development occurs as part of a broader crackdown on food safety across India, where regulators have recently enforced temporary closures of various eateries and established branded restaurants amid compliance issues. The move also follows controversial efforts to introduce mandatory front-of-pack warning labels on packaged foods, a shift that has unsettled stakeholders within the country’s expansive $100 billion packaged food sector.

The FSSAI stated that the proposal responds to growing concerns about rising obesity rates, particularly among children. Public health data indicate that India had approximately 180 million overweight or obese adults in 2021, with projections estimating this number could reach 450 million by 2050. These figures underscore mounting worries over diet-related health outcomes in the country’s population.

In recent months, the FSSAI and multiple state regulators have stepped up surveillance activities to enforce food safety norms, sharing images and videos of inspections and raids to increase public awareness. Earlier this year, the authority introduced a red hexagonal warning label for food products high in multiple “nutrients of concern,” including sugars, salt, and saturated fats. Following public backlash, the agency revised the rules so that a warning would now be required if a product exceeds the recommended threshold for any one of these nutrients.

The proposed ban on added sucrose and fructose in infant foods marks a significant tightening of regulatory controls aimed at protecting vulnerable populations and addressing long-term public health challenges. The FSSAI is currently inviting feedback on the measure before considering its final adoption.