to read a food label in India, turn the pack over and check five things: what the numbers are measured per, the first three ingredients, added sugar, protein and fibre, and only then the claims on the front.
Ever bought a "healthy" biscuit, then found sugar was its second ingredient? The front of a pack is the advertisement. The back is the truth, and it takes about two minutes to read.
1. Per 100 g or per pack: what are the numbers for?
Check this first. Labels show values per 100 g, or for the whole pack if it's a single-serve pack, like ours. FSSAI's labelling rules allow either. Many also add a per-serving column.
The trap is a small serving on a big pack. "4 g sugar per serving" sounds fine until you notice a serving is 20 g and you'll eat the whole 60 g pack. That's 12 g.
To compare two foods, put them on the same basis. A 50 g pack with 10 g of sugar has 20 g per 100 g (10 × 100 ÷ 50). Single-serve packs make it easy: the number you see is the number you eat.
2. What do the first three ingredients tell you?
Under FSSAI's labelling rules, ingredients are listed from most to least. Whatever is in the top three is what you're mostly eating, whatever the front says.
3. How do you spot added sugar on a label?
Look at the nutrition table. FSSAI's labelling rules require Indian labels to show both total sugars and added sugars. Total includes sugar that's naturally in milk or fruit; added is what the company put in. Watch the added number.
Then scan the ingredients for sugar's other names: gur (jaggery), honey, glucose syrup, malt extract, dextrose. Three of these in one list adds up fast.
4. Why check protein and fibre?
Both help you stay full. Compare them on the same basis, and be wary of a "high protein" pack with more sugar than protein.
5. Can you trust the front of the pack?
Treat words like "natural", "multigrain" or "made with real fruit" as adverts until the back proves them.
India may soon add red warning labels to the front of packs high in two or more of added sugar, salt and saturated fat. FSSAI has proposed them to the Supreme Court, which reserved its order on 28 September 2026.
Your 2-minute checklist
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Know what the numbers are for: 100 g, a serving or the whole pack.
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First three ingredients.
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Added sugar, and its other names.
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Protein and fibre.
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Front claims last.
Try it on us
Read our label the same way. Here's the full ingredient list and nutrition table for our Barley Powerbowl – Chocolate : Every lab report is on our .
Quick questions
What does the FSSAI number on a pack mean? It's the maker's licence number. Every packed food must show the FSSAI logo and licence number.
Is jaggery healthier than sugar? Not really. It has a few minerals, but it's still sugar.
How we checked this: every rule here comes from FSSAI's labelling regulations and Supreme Court reporting, linked below. General information, not medical advice.
Last updated 25 October 2026.