FSSAI Moves to Strengthen Infant Nutrition Standards by Restricting Addition of Sucrose and Fructose in Products for Infants Up to Six Months

1. At a Glance

• The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has published a draft amendment to the Food Safety and Standards (Foods for Infant Nutrition) Regulations, 2020. It would stop manufacturers from adding sucrose and fructose to food products meant for infants up to six months old. [1]
• The proposed wording is: "sucrose and fructose shall not be added in the products intended for infants up to the age of 6 months." [1]
• It fits with the WHO/UNICEF advice of exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months, and with India's concern about childhood obesity and early exposure to added sugar. [1][2]
• Why aspirants should care: it touches GS-II (health, nutrition, regulatory bodies) and GS-III (food processing, food safety). Prelims can test it on terms like draft vs final, sucrose vs lactose, and 0–6 months vs 0–24 months.

2. Why in the News

• 16 Oct 2026: The draft FSS (Foods for Infant Nutrition) Amendment Regulations, 2026 was published in the Gazette of India. [1]
• 17 Oct 2026: The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare announced it through a PIB release (Release ID 2324637). [1]
• The public has 60 days to send objections and suggestions, counted from when copies of the Gazette are made available. FSSAI will consider these before finalising the rule. [1]

3. Background & Evolution

• Parent law: FSSAI works under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. Its job is to set science-based standards for food and to regulate how food is made, stored, distributed, sold and imported. [5]
• 1981: The World Health Assembly adopted the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes through resolution WHA34.22. It was adopted as a recommendation under Article 23 of the WHO Constitution. [3]
• Jan 2011: WHO repeated that exclusive breastfeeding for six months is best for babies everywhere. [4]
• 2020: The FSS (Foods for Infant Nutrition) Regulations, 2020 set nutrition, quality and safety standards for infant nutrition products for children from birth to 24 months. [1]
• 2020 (companion rules): The FSS (Safe food and balanced diets for children in school) Regulations, 2020 also came out that year. [6]
• Rule today (2020 Regulations): Lactose and glucose polymers are the preferred carbohydrates. Sucrose and/or fructose may be added only "when required as a carbohydrate source", within set limits. [1]
• Related FSSAI step on sugar: At its 44th meeting, the Food Authority approved showing total sugar, salt and saturated fat in bold letters and a bigger font on nutrition labels. [7]
• 2026: The draft amendment changes this conditional permission into a flat ban for the 0–6 month age group. [1]

4. Core Static Facts

Item	Fact
Regulator	FSSAI [1]
Administrative ministry	Ministry of Health and Family Welfare [1]
Enabling Act	Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 [5]
Principal regulation being amended	FSS (Foods for Infant Nutrition) Regulations, 2020 [1]
Draft instrument	FSS (Foods for Infant Nutrition) Amendment Regulations, 2026 [1]
Gazette date	16 October 2026 [1]
Age group covered by the 2020 Regulations	Birth to 24 months [1]
Age group covered by the new ban	Up to 6 months [1]
Sugars banned	Sucrose (table sugar) and fructose (fruit sugar) [1]
Preferred carbohydrates (still allowed)	Lactose and glucose polymers [1]
Consultation window	60 days from when the Gazette is made available [1]
WHO meaning of exclusive breastfeeding	Breast milk only — not even water. ORS, vitamins, minerals and medicines are allowed. [2]
Global exclusive breastfeeding rate (under 6 months)	48% (2024). WHO target: at least 60% by 2030 [2]
International Code	WHA34.22, 1981, a recommendation under Art. 23 of the WHO Constitution [3]

5. Multi-Dimensional Analysis

Health / Scientific

• The first six months are a critical window for growth and development. Added sucrose and fructose bring sugar the infant does not need. [1]
• The rule is aimed at dietary risk factors linked to childhood obesity and related problems. [1]
• Allowing lactose (the sugar in breast milk) while banning sucrose and fructose brings the composition of formula closer to breast milk. [1]

Social

• It supports the exclusive breastfeeding message. Only about half of infants worldwide are exclusively breastfed, so formula quality matters for the rest. [1][2]
• It protects infants whose mothers cannot breastfeed, for example because of work, illness or other reasons, by making sure the substitutes they rely on are healthier. [1]

Economic / Industry

• Manufacturers will have to reformulate products for the 0–6 month segment and use only the preferred carbohydrates. [1]
• The draft openly aims to push manufacturers towards age-appropriate formulations. [1]

Legal / Governance

• The change is delegated legislation made under the FSS Act, 2006. It follows a notice-and-comment process (a 60-day consultation) before being finalised. [1][5]
• It reflects FSSAI's stated priorities: science-based standards and preventive nutrition. [1]

Global / Normative

• It matches the WHO/UNICEF feeding advice and the aims of the 1981 International Code, which seeks to protect infants from inappropriate marketing of breast-milk substitutes. [2][3]

6. Recent Developments (last 12–18 months)

• 16 Oct 2026: Draft Amendment Regulations, 2026 published in the Gazette. [1]
• 17 Oct 2026: PIB release by MoHFW/FSSAI ("FSSAI Proposes Stronger Nutritional Safeguards for Infants"). [1]
• Pending: The 60-day consultation is running. The rule is not yet final. [1]
• 2024 data point: 48% of infants under 6 months worldwide were exclusively breastfed. [2]

7. Prelims Hooks

• FSSAI's draft would ban added sucrose and fructose in products for infants up to 6 months. [1]
• Regulation being amended: FSS (Foods for Infant Nutrition) Regulations, 2020. [1]
• The draft was published in the Gazette of India on 16 October 2026. [1]
• The 2020 Regulations cover infant nutrition products from birth to 24 months. [1]
• Lactose and glucose polymers are the preferred carbohydrate sources in infant nutrition products. [1]
• Public comments are invited for 60 days. [1]
• FSSAI's administrative ministry is the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, not the Ministry of Food Processing Industries or the Ministry of Consumer Affairs. [1]
• FSSAI is set up under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. [5]
• WHO's "exclusive breastfeeding" means no water either. ORS and medicines are allowed. [2]
• WHO target: exclusive breastfeeding rate of at least 60% by 2030. [2]
• Global exclusive breastfeeding rate in 2024 was 48%. [2]
• The International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes was adopted in 1981 by resolution WHA34.22. [3]
• The Code is a recommendation under Article 23 of the WHO Constitution, not a binding convention. [3]
• At its 44th meeting, the FSSAI Food Authority approved bold, larger-font labelling of total sugar, salt and saturated fat. [7]

8. Why the Ban Covers the Smallest Part of the Baby-Food Market

• For the first six months, the only product a baby should get is formula
• WHO says babies under six months should get breast milk only, not even water [2].
• So the 0–6 month products are mostly infant formula (factory-made milk that replaces breast milk). Cereals, purées and snacks are meant to start after six months.

• The draft bans added sugar only in this small group. It does not touch foods for babies aged 6–24 months, which the 2020 Regulations also cover [1].

• The bigger sugar problem is in complementary food

• Complementary food means food given alongside milk once the baby is past six months.
• A WHO/Europe study of 732 baby foods in Warsaw found that 24% had sugar or other sweeteners added, and 58% got more than 30% of their energy from sugars [8].
• The same study found that 43% were labelled as suitable for babies under six months, which goes against the International Code [8].

• This is European data, not Indian. But the point is that the sugar mostly sits in the 6–36 month range, which this draft leaves alone.

• WHO's own model goes much further than FSSAI

• WHO/Europe's Nutrient and Promotion Profile Model (2022) would ban added sugars and sweeteners in all commercial baby foods. It would also stop sweet drinks, sweetened milk and sweet snacks from being marketed to children up to 36 months [9].
• On that standard, India's draft is only a first step.

9. Sweetness Can Still Enter Through Other Ingredients

• The draft names only two sugars
• The proposed text bans added sucrose and fructose [1].

• It does not mention other ways to make food sweet, such as fruit purée or fruit-juice concentrate.

• This gap has already been used in other countries

• WHO/Europe found baby foods marked "no added sugar" that were still sweet because they used fruit purée or concentrates [9].

• A label can be legally true and still hide a sweet product.

• What it means for the exam answer

• Banning an ingredient is weaker than limiting the total sugar in a product.
• The 44th Food Authority meeting already moved to show total sugar in bold on labels [7]. Linking the infant rule to total sugar, not just to named sugars, would close this gap.

10. Better Formula Does Not Fix the Marketing Problem

• Mothers choose formula mostly because of marketing, not because of what is in it
• A WHO/UNICEF study across eight countries found that more than half of the women surveyed had seen formula marketing. In the UK the figure was 84% [10][14].

• A healthier recipe does nothing to stop a mother being pushed away from breastfeeding.

• India's marketing law depends on someone complaining

• The Infant Milk Substitutes Act, 1992 (IMS Act) is India's law on how formula and infant food can be advertised.
• The government named four voluntary organisations as the bodies allowed to file written complaints about violations. It also set up a National Steering Committee to review how the Act is enforced [11].
• In September 2020, MoHFW still had to send an advisory telling food safety officers to file court cases for breaking Sections 3, 4 and 9 (advertising, promotion and gifts to boost sales) [12].

• Needing that advisory suggests prosecutions were not happening on their own.

• So the two rules have to work together

• FSSAI controls what goes into the product under the FSS Act, 2006 [5]. The IMS Act controls how the product is sold.
• With only 48% of babies worldwide exclusively breastfed [2], a weak rule on marketing will cancel out much of the gain from a better recipe.

11. What About Babies Who Cannot Digest Lactose?

• The strongest objection
• Some babies cannot digest lactose (milk sugar). Formula made for them needs a different carbohydrate (the main energy nutrient).

• The 2020 rule allowed sucrose and fructose "when required as a carbohydrate source" for this reason [1]. A flat ban removes that option.

• Why the objection is only partly right

• Glucose polymers (long chains of glucose, usually made from starch) are still allowed and are listed as a preferred carbohydrate [1]. So lactose-free formula can still be made.
• The objection is right about one thing. The draft wording quoted by PIB does not say whether formula for special medical needs is exempt [1]. The final rule should make this clear, so that no one reads it as a reason to stop making these products.

12. What the Final Rule Should Add

• FSSAI should extend the limit to 6–24 month foods
• Follow WHO/Europe's model: no added sugars or sweeteners in any commercial baby food [9].

• The 2020 Regulations already cover up to 24 months [1], so no new law is needed. Only the amendment needs to be wider.

• FSSAI should limit total sugar, not just two named sugars

• This stops companies from swapping table sugar for fruit concentrate [9].

• FSSAI should first find out what is on Indian shelves

• WHO/Europe based its proposal on market surveys that bought and tested real products [8].

• India has no such published survey of infant food among our sources. FSSAI already samples baby food as routine work and could use that data.

• MoHFW should enforce the IMS Act on its own initiative

• Officers should check for violations themselves instead of waiting for complaints from voluntary groups [11][12].
• The National Guidelines on Infant and Young Child Feeding already say substitutes should be used only when needed for health reasons [13]. Enforcement should match that.

13. Anchors for Answers

• Data: 48% of infants under six months were exclusively breastfed worldwide in 2024. WHO's target is at least 60% by 2030 [2]
• Data: 24% of baby foods in a WHO/Europe Warsaw study had added sugar or sweeteners, and 43% were labelled for babies under six months [8]
• Data: 84% of pregnant women and new mothers in the UK had seen formula marketing (WHO/UNICEF, 2022) [10]
• Report/Committee: WHO/UNICEF, How the marketing of formula milk influences our decisions on infant feeding (2022) [14]. WHO/Europe Nutrient and Promotion Profile Model (2022) [9]. National Steering Committee on IMS Act enforcement [11]
• Law/Case: Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 [5]. Infant Milk Substitutes Act, 1992, Sections 3, 4 and 9 [12]. International Code, WHA34.22 (1981) [3]
• Comparison: WHO/Europe would ban added sugars in all commercial baby foods and stop sweet foods being marketed to children up to 36 months. India's draft covers only 0–6 months [9][1]
• Scheme: National Guidelines on Infant and Young Child Feeding say substitutes should be used only when needed for health reasons [13]

14. Mains Relevance

• GS-II: Issues relating to the development and management of the social sector and services relating to health. Issues relating to hunger and nutrition. Statutory and regulatory bodies.
• GS-III: Food processing and related industries, including food safety standards.
• GS-I (secondary): Social issues such as women's work and breastfeeding.
• Possible question stems: 1. Regulating the composition of infant nutrition products is a preventive public-health measure. Discuss with reference to FSSAI's recent proposals on added sugars. (GS-II, 150 words) 2. Critically examine the role of FSSAI in tackling India's rising burden of diet-related non-communicable diseases, including childhood obesity. (GS-II/III, 250 words) 3. Formula regulation and breastfeeding promotion are two sides of the same coin. Analyse in light of WHO norms and India's regulatory framework. (GS-II, 250 words)

15. Related Topics to Study Next

• Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006: the parent law and FSSAI's structure and powers. [5]
• FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020 and front-of-pack labelling: the wider push on sugar disclosure. [7]
• FSS (Safe food and balanced diets for children in school) Regulations, 2020: FSSAI's other child-focused rules. [6]
• International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes (1981): the global rules on marketing formula. [3]
• WHO Global Nutrition Targets 2030: the exclusive breastfeeding target and the related targets. [2]
• Infant Milk Substitutes, Feeding Bottles and Infant Foods Act, 1992: India's domestic version of the Code. (Not retrieved here; verify before citing.)
• POSHAN Abhiyaan / MAA programme: India's programmes on nutrition and breastfeeding promotion. (Not retrieved here; verify.)
• Ultra-processed foods and childhood obesity: the wider policy debate on NCD risk factors.

16. NCERT Concepts to Revise

• Delegated legislation (Polity): The FSSAI amendment is a rule made by the executive under the FSS Act, 2006, with a public comment period.
• Quality and safety standards (Economy): FSSAI sets mandatory composition norms for infant foods that manufacturers must follow to protect vulnerable consumers.
• Food processing (Geography): The rule makes baby-food makers reformulate products, and the note links it to GS-III food processing and food safety.
• Consumer (Economy): Infant-food rules and marketing laws protect consumers, here parents buying formula, from unhealthy or misleading products.
• Survey (Economy): The note argues FSSAI should survey Indian baby foods, as WHO/Europe did, before setting wider sugar limits.

17. Common Errors / Trap Areas

• Draft vs final: As of 17 Oct 2026, this is only a draft open for comment for 60 days. It is not yet in force. [1]
• Age group mix-up: The ban is for 0–6 months. The parent 2020 Regulations cover 0–24 months. [1]
• Which sugars: Only sucrose and fructose are banned. Lactose and glucose polymers remain the preferred carbohydrates. Do not read this as "all sugars banned". [1]
• Wrong ministry: FSSAI is under MoHFW, not the Ministry of Food Processing Industries or the Ministry of Consumer Affairs. [1]
• Legal nature of the Code: The 1981 WHO Code is a recommendation under Art. 23, not a binding treaty. [3]
• Wrong year: The parent regulations are from 2020 and the amendment is dated 2026. The parent Act is from 2006. [1][5]