FSSAI notice
Microplastic warning on bottled water, salt and sugar: Madras HC (2026)
Last checked 8 October 2026
The Madras High Court has directed FSSAI to require a bold red warning that drinking water, salt and sugar sold in plastic packaging 'may contain micro/nano plastics'; it refused FSSAI's and industry's requests to recall that order on 28 Sep 2026, and FSSAI had not notified the label as of 8 Oct 2026.
- Classification
- Regulatory notice or advisory
- Decided by
- Madras High Court; Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (to implement)
- Reference
- Order of 6 Feb 2026; review dismissed in FSSAI v. G. Subramania Koushik, Rev. Aplw. No. 253 of 2026, 28 Sep 2026 (2026 LiveLaw (Mad) 469)
- Latest action
- 28 September 2026
- Last checked
- 8 October 2026
Photo: Aqua Blue 200ml Premium Packaged Drinking Water.jpg by unknown (CC BY-SA 4.0). All photo credits.
Madras High Court refuses to recall order on micro/nano plastic warning label
Our team has checked this record against the published reports, last on 8 October 2026. The government order itself is not published online, or we have not found it yet, so we link the best public report. If you have the order, send it to us and we will link it instead.
Scope. A record here does not by itself mean a product or company is unsafe or banned today. Regulatory actions can apply to one batch, one formulation, one period or one state. Always check the linked government document for the current position, and tell us if something is out of date. How we label records.
Below: Blacklisted's explanationWe explain what has been reported. The report above is the best source we hold.
Key facts
- Warning ordered
- Bold red text, at least 10-point font: the product 'may contain micro/nano plastics'
- Products
- Packaged drinking water in plastic bottles; salt and sugar in plastic packs
- Court
- Madras High Court (Justices N. Sathish Kumar and D. Bharatha Chakravarthy)
- Review
- Dismissed 28 Sep 2026; the court called the label the "barest essential minimum" for informed choice
- In force?
- Not yet. FSSAI has to notify the labelling requirement; no deadline reported
In February 2026 the Madras High Court, hearing a petition by G. Subramania Koushik, directed FSSAI to notify and enforce a warning on drinking water, salt and sugar sold in plastic packaging: the label must say, in bold red letters of at least 10-point size, that the product 'may contain micro/nano plastics'.
FSSAI, the PET Packaging Association for Clean Environment and the Federation of All India Packaged Drinking Water Manufacturers Association asked the court to review and recall that order. On 28 Sep 2026 a bench of Justices N. Sathish Kumar and D. Bharatha Chakravarthy dismissed the applications, describing the warning as the barest essential minimum needed for consumers to make an informed choice.
The order binds FSSAI to act, but the warning is not yet law: FSSAI has to notify it as a labelling requirement, and no deadline has been reported. Whether FSSAI or the industry will appeal to the Supreme Court has not been reported as of 8 Oct 2026.
What this means for you
Nothing is banned
The order is about a warning on the label. Bottled water, salt and sugar in plastic packs stay on sale.
Watch for an FSSAI notification
The label becomes compulsory only when FSSAI notifies it. We will record the notification here when it is published.
This is a record of official orders, not medical advice. Do not stop a prescribed medicine without asking your doctor or pharmacist.
Common questions
Is bottled water banned because of microplastics?
No. The Madras High Court has ordered a warning label, not a ban, and FSSAI has not yet notified it.
Official sources and primary records
- Madras High Court refuses to recall order on micro/nano plastic warning labelNewsLiveLaw · 29 September 2026
- Madras High Court refuses to recall order to disclose microplastics in packaged water, sugar, saltNewsBar & Bench · 2 October 2026