Microplastic warning labels: FSSAI asks Madras HC to review order, cites inconclusive science

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has petitioned the Madras High Court to revise a directive requiring bold red warning labels on bottled drinking water, sugar, and salt stating that the products “may contain micro/nano plastics”. The regulator argues that existing scientific evidence does not conclusively establish harm to human health, and that such warnings could cause unnecessary public panic.

The order, issued by a special Division Bench of Justices N. Sathish Kumar and D. Bharatha Chakravarthy on February 6, 2026, mandated that all PET bottles used for packaged drinking water and plastic packets containing sugar and salt display the warning in red letters. The FSSAI has now filed a review application against this direction, along with a plea to condone a delay of 151 days.

In its application, moved through Central government senior panel counsel V. Chandrasekaran, the FSSAI said that “all available materials and research articles, invariably and unequivocally, stated that the harmful effects of micro and nano plastics on human body remained inconclusive and the research was at a nascent stage.” It added that enforcing the label “may cause public panic and disruption in supply chain”.

The authority also noted that the report relied upon by the court was itself a review of studies on microplastics as an emerging contaminant, and that it does not establish a definite health risk. “While some studies do suggest that there may be impact to human health from exposure to microplastics and nano plastics, the overall scientific evidence does not demonstrate that levels of microplastics or nano plastics found in foods pose a risk to human health,” the FSSAI said.

The regulator pointed out that the National Green Tribunal had earlier taken cognisance of an article on detecting microplastics in human blood and directed the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to conduct further studies. The FSSAI said it has written to ICMR twice without response, and has offered to fund the research as well as a separate study by IIT-Madras at the request of the Tamil Nadu government.

Adding to its objections, the FSSAI said no country has yet formulated regulations specifically for micro and nano plastics in food. It argued that such labelling would be impractical and would burden food business operators. The warning label could also “cause panic to foreign nationals when they arrive in India and find them on food articles,” the authority said. It further contended that if similar directions were given for every contaminant or heavy metal, labels would end up carrying multiple warnings, making the system unwieldy.

Earlier, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the FSSAI had approached the Supreme Court against the High Court’s order. A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta dismissed the special leave petition as withdrawn on May 18, 2026, prompting the present review petition.

Separately, the PET Packaging Association for Clean Environment (PACE) has also filed a plea seeking recall of the February order. The Federation of All India Packaged Drinking Water Manufacturers Association has moved an impleading application, arguing that it was not given an opportunity to be heard before the directive was issued.

The review application and the delay condonation plea are listed for hearing before the Special Bench on Monday, September 7, 2026.