FSSAI Proposes Ban On Added Sucrose, Fructose In Infant Foods For Babies Below 6 Months

October 17, 2026

New Delhi: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has drafted amendments to stop any addition of sucrose and fructose in foods produced for infants under the age of six months, an official notification said on Saturday.

According to an official notification released by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the draft amendment Food Safety and Standards (Foods for Infant Nutrition) Amendment Regulations, 2026 would seek to protect the nutritional interests of infants.

The draft amendment, which has been issued in the Gazette of India on October 16, 2026, would ensure that the infant nutrition products are nutritionally appropriate for infants and prevent exposure to added sugar as far as possible.

The draft has been issued in the Gazette of India and suggestions have been invited in the next 60 days after publication.

All the suggestions will be examined by FSSAI before finalising the regulation

The current regulations lay down comprehensive nutritional composition, quality and safety requirements for different infant nutrition products used by infants up to 24 months of age.

As per the existing rules, lactose and glucose polymers would remain as the preferred sources of carbohydrates whereas sucrose or fructose could be included only where necessary as sources of carbohydrates provided it is done within the set limits.

Further developing on these rules, the amendment proposed in the draft places a certain restriction in the inclusion of sucrose and fructose in food products formulated for infants below six months, the statement said.

The first six months are very crucial in terms of development of an infant and thus proper nutrition becomes very important during this period.

Through this amendment, it is expected to ensure proper nutrition in infant food products so as to address the public health issue of diet associated risks of childhood obesity and other related health problems.

It is in line with the existing public health guidelines advocating for exclusive breast-feeding in first six months of life. The amendment would not only aid proper infant feeding but would also motivate food product manufacturers to formulate products keeping in view nutritional requirements of infants.