India is finally learning to read food labels. But in an increasingly digital marketplace, consumers also need to learn to read the screen.
In this audio, Sucheta Dalal examines the growing crackdown on food safety, misleading claims and inadequate labelling in India. From Maharashtra FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe’s enforcement drive to FSSAI action against major food, beverage, hotel and e-commerce businesses, the regulatory landscape is changing.
The Supreme Court is also pushing for greater transparency around front-of-pack warning labels, including questions about added sugar, total sugar and how warnings should appear on packaged food.
But there is a bigger question: What happens when the supermarket shelf moves to your phone?
E-commerce and quick-commerce platforms such as Amazon, Flipkart, Zepto and Blinkit have become an increasingly important part of how Indians buy food and everyday products. FSSAI has directed platforms to remove non-compliant listings and ensure that online descriptions and claims match the physical product. Yet questions remain about platform accountability, counterfeit products, misleading claims and the information consumers receive before they click “Buy”.
The audio also looks at the changing rules for e-commerce, including the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Amendment Rules, 2026, and asks whether technology and AI used to predict what consumers will buy can also be used to protect them from unsafe, fake or misleading products.
The larger issue is simple: consumer protection cannot stop at the shop shelf. It has to follow the consumer onto the screen.
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