A baby's first food may soon face stricter scrutiny over what manufacturers are permitted to add to it. India has proposed prohibiting two common sugars, sucrose and fructose, in nutrition products intended for infants up to six months old, tightening standards for a period when appropriate nutrition is particularly important for growth and development.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) published the draft amendment to its infant nutrition regulations on 16 October 2026. The proposal would amend the Food Safety and Standards (Foods for Infant Nutrition) Regulations, 2020, which govern the nutritional composition, quality and safety of infant food products.
Current regulations already favour lactose and glucose polymers as carbohydrate sources, allowing sucrose or fructose under specified conditions and limits. The proposed amendment would remove that flexibility for products intended for babies during their first six months.
The restriction specifically concerns added sucrose and fructose, rather than all carbohydrates or naturally occurring sugars. Lactose, the principal sugar naturally present in breast milk, serves an important nutritional function and is not the target of the proposal. Nor does the draft establish a blanket prohibition on every form of added sugar across all baby foods.
The science behind the proposed change extends beyond sweetness. Early childhood is an important period for nutritional development, and excessive exposure to added sugars can contribute to unhealthy dietary patterns. The Health Ministry has linked the proposal to broader preventive efforts addressing dietary risk factors associated with childhood obesity, although the amendment itself does not establish that existing infant formulas have caused obesity.
India's initiative also aligns with established infant-feeding recommendations. The World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months, followed by the introduction of safe, nutritionally adequate complementary foods while breastfeeding continues. When breastfeeding is not possible or sufficient, appropriately formulated infant nutrition products remain an important alternative.
The WHO's 2023 complementary feeding guidelines also emphasise the importance of developing healthy dietary patterns between six and 23 months of age, when children begin consuming foods alongside breast milk or formula.
For manufacturers, the proposed restriction could require changes to products currently formulated with added sucrose or fructose for children below six months. The extent of any reformulation would depend on existing product compositions and the final wording of the regulation.
The Health Ministry's announcement confirms that the draft remains open for public consultation. Stakeholders have 60 days from the Gazette's public availability to submit objections or suggestions, which FSSAI must consider before finalising the amendment.
Until that process is complete and the amended regulations are formally brought into force, the proposed prohibition is not an enforceable ban. For now, the measure signals a narrower approach to permitted ingredients in products designed for India's youngest consumers.
