FSSAI: Proposes ban on added sucrose and fructose in infant food

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has proposed prohibiting added sucrose and fructose in products intended for infants up to six months of age. Its notification, dated 15 October 2026 and published in the Gazette of India on 16 October 2026, opens the proposed amendment to public objections and suggestions before the regulator considers finalising it.^[1]

The draft would amend the Food Safety and Standards (Foods for Infant Nutrition) Regulations, 2020. Its operative wording is: “provided that sucrose and fructose shall not be added in the products intended for infants up to the age of 6 months”. The restriction is proposed, not an immediately enforceable ban under this notification.^[1]

FSSAI has provided a consultation period of 60 days, counted from the date copies of the Gazette containing the notification are made available to the public. The document says representations received within that period will be considered. It does not set out a commencement date for a final restriction.^[1]

What the proposed restriction covers

The amendment would insert a proviso in regulation 3, sub-regulation 6. A proviso is a qualification attached to an existing rule: here, it would introduce an age-specific restriction on adding the two named sugars rather than replace the infant-nutrition regulations as a whole.^[1]

DD News reported on 17 October 2026 that the existing regulations prescribe nutritional composition, quality and safety standards for categories of infant food intended for children from birth to 24 months. According to that account, lactose and glucose polymers are the preferred carbohydrate sources, while sucrose and fructose may be added when required as carbohydrate sources, subject to specified limits.^[2]

The proposed change would therefore place a specific prohibition within that broader framework for products intended for the youngest age group. It does not propose a lower numerical allowance for sucrose or fructose in those products; its wording says they must not be added.^[1]

Two limits to that wording matter. First, the draft addresses the addition of sucrose and fructose, not the removal of every carbohydrate or a requirement that products contain no sugars at all. Second, it specifies products intended for infants up to six months, rather than imposing the same new restriction across every age category covered by the principal regulations.^[1]

The notification does not identify particular manufacturers, brands or products that would need reformulation. Nor does it provide a transition period, arrangements for existing stock or a list of affected formulations. Those commercial and implementation details cannot be determined from the proposed clause alone.^[1]

Nutrition concerns and the earlier sugar debate

FSSAI’s stated aim is to meet the nutritional needs of young infants without unnecessary added sugars, according to DD News. The broadcaster reported that the measure is also intended to address concerns about early exposure to added sugars, including dietary risk factors associated with childhood obesity and related health complications. These are the proposal’s stated public-health objectives, not outcomes demonstrated by the notification.^[2]

The World Health Organization describes the first two years of life as particularly important for nutrition, growth and development. It also explains that, around six months, an infant’s energy and nutrient requirements begin to exceed what breast milk provides, making additional, or complementary, foods necessary. That feeding context is distinct from the Indian draft’s narrower task of regulating the composition of products for infants up to six months.^[3][1]

Added sugar in baby food was already the subject of scrutiny before this notification. In an investigation published in April 2024, Public Eye and the International Baby Food Action Network examined Nestle’s Cerelac cereals and Nido products across several markets. Public Eye reported that the Indian Cerelac cereals covered by its investigation contained added sugar averaging nearly 3 grams per serving.^[4]

That investigation covered a wider age range than the new draft, including cereals marketed from six months and milk products for older children. Its findings should not be treated as a list of products covered by the proposed Indian restriction. The notification itself neither names Nestle nor states that the investigation prompted the amendment.^[4][1]

In its response reproduced by Public Eye, Nestle said its products complied with the Codex Alimentarius international food standards and local laws. The company also said it would further reduce added sugars without compromising quality, safety or taste. That response concerned the earlier investigation; it is not a response to the October 2026 proposal.^[4]

Consultation before a final rule

The notification invokes section 92 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, citing its provisions for making regulations and publishing a draft for those likely to be affected. Signed by FSSAI chief executive officer Rajit Punhani, it proposes the title Food Safety and Standards (Foods for Infant Nutrition) Amendment Regulations, 2026.^[1]

Objections and suggestions may be submitted by any person, not only manufacturers, and addressed to FSSAI’s chief executive officer by post or through the email channel specified in the notification. The authority says it will consider submissions received before the consultation period expires and take up the draft after that period. The text does not specify when a final amendment will be issued or whether its wording will remain unchanged.^[1]

References

1. Food Safety and Standards Authority of India. Notification, F. No. RCD-09002/3/2026-Regulatory-FSSAI. 15 October 2026.
2. DD News. FSSAI Proposes Ban on Added Sucrose, Fructose in Nutrition Products for … 17 October 2026.
3. World Health Organization. Infant and young child feeding.
4. Public Eye. How Nestle gets children hooked on sugar in lower-income countries. April 2024.