FSSAI proposes stricter fat, sugar and salt limits for food sold in schools

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has proposed quantitative limits for identifying foods high in added fat, sugar or salt as part of tighter regulations governing products sold to schoolchildren.

The proposals are contained in the draft Food Safety and Standards (Safe Food and Balanced Diets for Children in School) Amendment Regulations, 2026, published in the Gazette of India.

The draft seeks to amend the regulations introduced in 2020 by adding specific nutritional benchmarks based on the Indian Council of Medical Research’s Dietary Guidelines for Indians 2024. The new provision would be inserted after the existing regulation covering monitoring and surveillance in schools.

Under the proposal, a solid food product would be classified as high in added fat if it contains more than 4.2 grams per 100 grams. For liquid products, the proposed limit is more than 1.5 grams per 100 millilitres.

Solid foods containing more than 3 grams of added sugar per 100 grams would fall into the high-sugar category. The corresponding threshold for liquids has been set at more than 2 grams per 100 millilitres.

For salt, solid products would be considered high in sodium if they contain more than 0.625 grams per 100 grams. In the case of liquids, the limit would be more than 0.175 grams per 100 millilitres. The thresholds were also detailed in the published account of the draft notification.

The move is intended to provide measurable criteria for determining which products are high in fat, sugar or salt and strengthen the enforcement of nutritional standards in and around schools.

The existing framework restricts the sale of foods high in fat, salt and sugar to children on school campuses, including in canteens, messes and hostels. The proposed amendment would provide clearer numerical benchmarks for classifying such products.

The draft has been framed under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, with the prior approval of the Union government.

FSSAI has invited comments and objections from members of the public and other stakeholders. Submissions can be made within 60 days of the date on which the gazette notification is made publicly available.

The regulator said all representations received within the consultation period would be examined before the amendment is finalised.

With IANS inputs