Madras High Court Refuses to Recall Microplastics Warning-Label Order

The Madras High Court refused to recall its interim direction requiring bottled drinking water and packaged salt and sugar to disclose that the products may contain microplastics.

Background and legal issue

The Madras High Court refused to recall its interim direction requiring bottled drinking water and packaged salt and sugar to disclose that the products may contain microplastics. The Bench rejected requests by FSSAI and industry bodies to postpone disclosure until the regulator completes further scientific assessment. It treated a qualified warning as a minimum consumer-information measure while uncertainty over the precise health consequences continues to be studied. The order does not declare that every covered product contains a particular quantity of microplastics or establish a final health-risk finding. The disclosure requirement therefore continues unless modified in further proceedings or by a superior court.

Why it matters

The legal effect is confined to the ruling or procedural development reported here. Allegations and submissions are not treated as established facts unless expressly adjudicated.

Practical consequence

The parties and authorities must now proceed in accordance with the operative legal position described above.