India’s food regulator has proposed barring the addition of sucrose and fructose to foods intended for babies up to six months old. The draft amendment was notified on October 16, and the Health Ministry explained the proposal the following day.
The change would draw a sharper line between products for the youngest infants and food for older babies. The Indian Express reported that foods for children aged six to 24 months would continue under the existing permitted limits, rather than fall under this proposed prohibition.
This is a draft, so it does not mean a new ban is already in force. FSSAI has invited objections and suggestions for 60 days from the date copies of the notification are made available to the public. It will consider that feedback before finalising the amendment.
The distinction between sugar types matters, too. As The Indian Express explains, infant-food rules permit carbohydrate sources including lactose and glucose polymers. The proposed change specifically concerns added sucrose and fructose; describing it as a requirement for all infant food to contain no sugar would go beyond the proposal.
The Health Ministry says the existing infant-nutrition framework prefers lactose and glucose polymers as carbohydrate sources, while allowing sucrose and fructose when needed to meet carbohydrate requirements, subject to limits. The draft would remove that allowance for the youngest age group.
For now, the practical development is a proposed reformulation requirement for one age band, not a completed change across the entire baby-food aisle. No final implementation date has been announced.
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