FSSAI mulls stricter regulations for baby food, proposes ban on added sugar

FSSAI is proposing a specific restriction in India’s infant nutrition rules. Food products intended for babies up to six months would not be allowed to contain added sucrose or fructose. The proposal aims to ensure that these products meet young infants’ nutritional needs without unnecessary added sugars.

The change would amend the Food Safety and Standards (Foods for Infant Nutrition) Regulations, 2020. Under the proposed wording, “sucrose and fructose shall not be added” to products for infants up to six months. This is stricter than the current rules, which permit them when needed as carbohydrate sources and within prescribed limits.

The amendment is still a draft, not a final ban. FSSAI has opened it for public consultation, and stakeholders have 60 days to submit objections or suggestions. If adopted, manufacturers would need to revise formulations for products aimed at this age group.

Sucrose and fructose are both sugars. Sucrose is the familiar sugar commonly used to sweeten foods. Fructose is another simple sugar found naturally in foods, including fruits. In nutrition discussions, the important distinction is whether a sugar is naturally present in an ingredient or deliberately added during manufacturing.

The article describes sucrose and fructose as added sugars because infant food products may include them as added carbohydrate sources. The current rules allow them only when required and within prescribed limits. FSSAI’s draft would remove that permission for products intended for infants up to six months.

The proposed change focuses on limiting unnecessary sweetness and sugar exposure at the earliest stage of life. The ministry connects this effort with broader public health concerns, including dietary risk factors linked to childhood obesity and related health challenges. The article does not claim that every early exposure directly causes obesity.

The proposal is age-specific and ingredient-specific. It would apply to food products intended for infants up to six months of age. In those products, manufacturers would be prohibited from adding sucrose or fructose. The measure therefore targets formulations for the youngest infants rather than every product sold for babies and toddlers.

The wider regulatory framework covers infant nutrition products for children from birth up to 24 months. However, the draft amendment creates a particular restriction for the first six months. Products for older children are not identified in the article as being covered by this proposed prohibition.

The draft has been published for public consultation under the Food Safety and Standards (Foods for Infant Nutrition) Amendment Regulations, 2026. Stakeholders can submit objections and suggestions within 60 days. Its final scope will depend on the outcome of that consultation and any subsequent regulatory decision.

The first six months are treated as especially important because the ministry identifies them as a critical period for healthy growth and development. Nutrition during this stage must therefore match infants’ age-specific requirements. The proposed rule is built around that principle rather than around general food standards for all ages.

The draft seeks to ensure that infant nutrition products provide needed nourishment without unnecessary sucrose or fructose. It also encourages manufacturers to formulate products around the specific nutritional requirements of young infants. The article links this approach with established recommendations promoting exclusive breastfeeding during the first six months.

The ministry presents the measure as preventive nutrition. It says reducing early exposure to added sugars supports broader public health efforts. Because the proposal is still under consultation, the immediate reality is that the existing rules remain in place while stakeholders review the suggested change.

The article says early exposure to added sugars is a public health concern. It links this exposure with dietary risk factors associated with childhood obesity and related health challenges. The proposed restriction is intended to reduce that exposure during the earliest stage of life, when the ministry says nutrition is especially important.

The key mechanism is formulation. If manufacturers cannot add sucrose or fructose to products for infants up to six months, those products must meet nutritional needs without those added sugars. Existing rules already prefer lactose and glucose polymers as carbohydrate sources, while allowing sucrose or fructose only when required and within limits.

The change could strengthen preventive nutrition efforts if adopted. However, it remains a proposal open to public consultation. The article does not provide evidence that early added sugar alone causes childhood obesity, nor does it quantify any expected reduction in obesity or other health problems.

The ministry explicitly says the proposal complements established public health recommendations promoting exclusive breastfeeding during the first six months. In other words, the proposed product standard and the breastfeeding recommendation operate together. The rule does not present commercial infant foods as a substitute for breastfeeding.

Where infant nutrition products are used, the proposed ban would require products for babies up to six months to be made without added sucrose or fructose. Manufacturers would instead need formulations that prioritise the nutritional requirements of young infants. The article does not specify particular products or feeding situations beyond this general category.

The proposal is therefore part of a broader effort to support appropriate infant feeding practices. It remains a draft amendment, and FSSAI has invited objections and suggestions for 60 days. Its final wording and implementation would follow the consultation and regulatory process.

Infant nutrition products contain carbohydrates to support their prescribed nutritional composition. Under the current regulations, lactose and glucose polymers are the preferred carbohydrate sources. Sucrose or fructose may be added only when required as a carbohydrate source and within prescribed limits.

The proposed amendment changes that balance for the youngest infants. It states that sucrose and fructose shall not be added to products intended for babies up to six months. Lactose and glucose polymers are therefore the carbohydrate sources identified by the existing framework as preferred alternatives. The article does not provide a detailed biochemical explanation for that preference.

The policy reason is to minimise unnecessary exposure to added sugars while preserving age-appropriate nutrition. The draft also encourages manufacturers to prioritise young infants’ specific nutritional requirements. Because it is still under public consultation, the current permissions remain applicable unless the amendment is finalised and brought into force.