Indian Nutrition Rating: FSSAI Front-of-Pack Stars
Learn how the Indian Nutrition Rating works, how FSSAI calculates its 0.5 to 5 stars, how it differs from HSR, and its current status in India.
The Indian Nutrition Rating (INR) is FSSAI's proposed front-of-pack labeling system, using a graphic with between 0.5 and 5 stars calculated through a nutrient-profiling algorithm adapted from the Australia and New Zealand Health Star Rating (HSR). It was published in the draft Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Amendment Regulations, 2022.
Importantly for manufacturers, the INR was never finalised: it remained a draft rather than an enforced mandate, with an anticipated voluntary phase before any mandatory application. According to news reports, FSSAI told India's Supreme Court in an affidavit filed in January 2026 that it proposed to withdraw the 2022 draft and carry out further research. After the Court asked it in February 2026 to consider warning labels for foods high in sugar, salt and saturated fat, FSSAI proposed a red hexagonal warning label in August 2026. The Court reserved its order on 28 September 2026, and as of the latest reports we found (October 2026), no front-of-pack rule had been notified. If you sell packaged food in India or export there, the star ladder below is therefore best treated as a record of the 2022 draft, but knowing how your products score on sugar, salt and saturated fat remains useful, because reformulation takes considerably longer than changing label artwork.
How the Indian Nutrition Rating score is calculated
Like its HSR parent, the Indian Nutrition Rating algorithm works per 100 g or 100 ml. It calculates two groups of points and nets them against each other:
- Baseline (risk) points for energy (kcal), saturated fat, total sugars and sodium. Liquid foods are scored on energy and total sugars only. Higher amounts produce more points, which is unfavorable.
- Positive points for fruits and vegetables (FV) and for nuts, legumes and millets (NLM), each scored separately, plus dietary fibre and protein. Liquid foods earn positive points for FV and protein only. These points are subtracted from the baseline.
The resulting final score maps to a star rating using Table 6 of the September 2022 draft. Solid foods (Category I, which in the draft includes dairy products) and liquid foods (Category II) use separate ladders:
| Stars | Final INR score: solid foods | Final INR score: liquid foods |
|---|---|---|
| 5.0 | ≤ -11 | ≤ 0 |
| 4.5 | -10 to -7 | 1 to 2 |
| 4.0 | -6 to -2 | 3 to 4 |
| 3.5 | -1 to 2 | 5 to 6 |
| 3.0 | 3 to 6 | 7 to 9 |
| 2.5 | 7 to 11 | 10 to 12 |
| 2.0 | 12 to 15 | 13 to 15 |
| 1.5 | 16 to 20 | 16 to 18 |
| 1.0 | 21 to 24 | 18 to 20 |
| 0.5 | ≥ 25 | ≥ 20 |
The liquid ladder is reproduced as printed in the draft, which lists 18 and 20 in two adjacent rows each. Other category rules also apply: positive points are capped differently for solid and liquid foods, and beverages without energy or sugar cannot display a star rating.
Why FSSAI front of pack labelling uses stars instead of warnings
Much of Latin America took the warning-octagon approach, including Chile, Mexico and Argentina, while public-health advocates also pushed FSSAI toward warning labels.
FSSAI instead selected a summary-indicator system. The reasoning was that a graded rating can work across an entire product portfolio rather than only identifying products that cross warning thresholds.
The choice remains debated in India, which is one reason the regulation has moved slowly. According to news reports, FSSAI has since moved away from the star rating toward a warning-label approach (see the FAQ below). It also provides a useful example of how differently jurisdictions can approach the same front-of-pack labeling problem.
You can compare India's proposed star system with Europe's Nutri-Score, which uses letter grades, and Mexico's NOM-051 octagons, which use binary warnings.
Indian Nutrition Rating vs Health Star Rating in Australia
The INR and Australia's Health Star Rating share the same basic structure: baseline points are netted against modifying points, and the resulting score maps to half-star bands.
FSSAI, however, made deliberate local adaptations. Positive-component definitions were adjusted for Indian dietary patterns and ingredient realities, and category boundaries differ.
The system also emerged through a specifically Indian process. Stakeholder consultations began in 2021, followed by a consumer study commissioned by FSSAI that compared candidate formats, including warning symbols, traffic lights and summary stars. The study reported the best comprehension for the star format.
Critics, including public-health researchers who favored warning labels, contested that conclusion. That disagreement is useful context because it helps explain both the system's design and why its notification has moved slowly.
For manufacturers, the practical point is straightforward: do not assume a Health Star Rating calculated for Australia will transfer unchanged to India. Use the Indian parameters when calculating an INR.
What stays mandatory regardless of the health star rating in India
The proposed INR would sit on top of India's existing labeling requirements rather than replace them.
The Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020 already require:
- A nutritional information panel, per 100 g/ml and optionally per serve, with %RDA contributions based on ICMR reference values.
- Ingredient lists with additive class names.
- Allergen declarations.
- Veg/non-veg logos.
- FSSAI license number.
- Date marking.
These obligations apply today regardless of what happens to the health star rating in India or the INR timeline. See our regulations index for the current status of each labeling regime we track.
What brands should do about the Indian Nutrition Rating in 2026
- Compute ratings for your range now. The inputs needed for the calculation, energy, saturated fat, sugars, sodium, protein, fibre and the fruit, vegetable, nut, legume and millet content, are values you already need for the Indian nutrition panel.
- Identify reformulation candidates. Products receiving 0.5 to 1.5 stars are potential reputational risks if and when the system goes live. Sodium and sugar reductions move the score fastest.
- Watch the notification status. Draft amendments can change thresholds and timelines between publication and final notification. According to news reports, FSSAI has proposed withdrawing the 2022 INR draft, so treat the ladder above as directional only, and check the outcome of the Supreme Court case before designing any front-of-pack graphic.
- Keep one source of truth. A recipe modeled once in our recipe manager can output the Indian panel, the INR star computation and every other market's format from the same data. Check the coverage list for the full set.
Indian Nutrition Rating FAQ
Is the INR star rating mandatory in India right now?
No. The Indian Nutrition Rating was published only as a draft amendment in September 2022 and was never notified as a final rule. According to news reports, FSSAI told the Supreme Court in an affidavit filed in January 2026 that it proposed to withdraw the 2022 draft and conduct further research, and in August 2026 it proposed a red hexagonal warning label for foods high in sugar, salt or fat instead. The Court reserved its order on 28 September 2026; as of the latest reports we found (October 2026), no front-of-pack rule had been notified. Verify the current regulatory status before committing any front-of-pack graphic to packaging artwork.
How is the Indian Nutrition Rating different from the Health Star Rating?
The basic architecture is the same. Both use baseline points minus modifying points and map the resulting score to half-star bands. FSSAI adapted details of the system to Indian dietary patterns, including scoring fruits and vegetables (FV) separately from nuts, legumes and millets (NLM). As a result, a product's Australian HSR and Indian INR will usually be similar but are not necessarily identical.
How does FSSAI front of pack labelling calculate the INR?
The INR uses nutrient information per 100 g or 100 ml. Energy, saturated fat, total sugars and sodium contribute baseline points, while fruits and vegetables (FV), nuts, legumes and millets (NLM), dietary fibre and protein contribute positive points. Liquid foods are scored on energy and total sugars, with positive points for FV and protein only. The positive points are subtracted from the baseline, and the final score is mapped to a star rating using separate ladders for solid and liquid foods.
Which products would need to carry the Indian Nutrition Rating stars?
The draft broadly targets packaged foods, with exemptions for categories such as fresh and single-ingredient basic foods. The exact exemption list belongs to the final notification, so manufacturers should treat the draft scope as provisional rather than assume the current categories will remain unchanged when final rules are gazetted.
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Sources
- Draft Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Amendment Regulations, 2022 (FOPNL / INR) (FSSAI)
- India: FSSAI publishes draft notification on front-of-pack labeling (GAIN IN2022-0085) (USDA Foreign Agricultural Service)
- Compendium: Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020 (FSSAI)
