FSSAI draft would bar added sucrose and fructose in infant foods
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has proposed barring the addition of sucrose and fructose to food products meant for infants up to six months old. The draft Food Safety and Standards (Foods for Infant Nutrition) Amendment Regulations, 2026 were published in the Gazette of India on 16 October and are open for comments for 60 days.
Syllabus: Prelims · Current Affairs & IR; GS2 · Statutory & Regulatory Bodies; GS2 · Health, Education & Human Resources
Why this matters for UPSC
GS2 health and statutory bodies: Prelims can ask what the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 provides and how FSSAI makes regulations; GS2 Mains, about regulating infant formula and protecting exclusive breastfeeding.
Why it matters
A baby fed on formula in its first months takes its whole diet from one tin, so what the manufacturer puts in that tin decides what the baby eats. FSSAI calls added sucrose and fructose unnecessary at this age, and it counts early exposure to added sugar among the dietary risks behind childhood obesity. If the draft is finalised, companies would have to reformulate products for this age group, and parents would no longer need to scan ingredient lists for these sugars. The wider question is how far the state should shape commercial baby food, and whether rules on formula support breastfeeding or quietly compete with it.
Prelims pointers
- The Second Schedule of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 lists the laws it repealed, including the Fruit Products Order, 1955 and the Milk and Milk Products Order, 1992.
- Under section 5 of the FSS Act, the Food Authority has a Chairperson and 22 members, one-third of whom shall be women.
- The Selection Committee that recommends FSSAI's Chairperson and its members other than ex officio members is chaired by the Cabinet Secretary (section 6).
- Infant nutrition labels must carry "MOTHER'S MILK IS BEST FOR YOUR BABY" in capitals on the front, and may show no picture of an infant or woman.
- Foods for infant nutrition must be free of preservatives, added colours and flavours; their packaging must be free from Bisphenol A (BPA).
- WHO and UNICEF advise starting breastfeeding within an hour of birth and continuing it to two years or beyond, with complementary foods from six months.
Practise a UPSC-style question
Consider the following statements about the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI):
1. FSSAI was set up under the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954, which a later law renamed.
2. FSSAI functions under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- (a) 1 only
- (b) 2 only
- (c) Both 1 and 2
- (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Show the answer
Answer: (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Answer: (d) Neither 1 nor 2. Both pin FSSAI on the wrong law or ministry.
Statement 1: incorrect. FSSAI was established under section 4 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, which repealed the 1954 Act.
Statement 2: incorrect. FSSAI comes under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare; its releases, such as the infant nutrition draft of October 2026, are issued under that ministry.
Eliminate: statement 1 is wrong because the 1954 Act was repealed, not renamed. Out: (a), (c).
Eliminate: statement 2 names the food and public distribution ministry, not Health. Out: (b).
Trap: Swapped attribution. Food regulation sounds like a job for the food and consumer affairs ministry, and the old adulteration law sounds like FSSAI's parent.
Remember: FSSAI = FSS Act, 2006, section 4; Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
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