The Madras High Court directed India’s Union Health Ministry and FSSAI to mandate red, size-10 label warnings on PET-bottled packaged drinking water and plastic-packed salt and sugar about possible micro/nano-plastics within four weeks.

Packaged water, salt and sugar sellers using PET bottles or plastic packs will need to redesign labels and packaging to add the specified warning text, creating immediate compliance work for manufacturers and private-label retailers. The four-week deadline compresses implementation timelines for inventory already in production or in transit, increasing write-off/rework risk and forcing faster packaging changeovers. The order also creates a court-backed labeling standard that can be used to trigger inspections and enforcement actions once the Health Ministry/FSSAI notification is issued.