New Delhi, July 10 -- The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has informed the Supreme Court that an expert committee on the proposed move to introduce mandatory warning labels on the front of packaged food items will require three more months to submit its recommendations. The development came after the expert panel missed the earlier three-month deadline as fixed by the top court while disposing of a public interest litigation (PIL) on April 9. The PIL filed by 3S and Our Health Society, a non-profit organisation, sought directions to make front-of-package warning labels (FOPL) mandatory for packaged foods high in sugar, salt, and saturated fat-substances linked to lifestyle diseases, including diabetes and cardiovascular ailments. "The applicant (FSSAI) prays for 3 more months for preparation of recommendations and their submission by the Expert Committee," FSSAI said in the fresh application moved on July 7. The expert committee was constituted in 2023 to analyse and address the feedback received on the draft notification dated September 13, 2022. The April 9 order of the top court came after it was informed that over 14,000 public comments were received on the proposed labelling norms that required to be examined by the expert committee. The court then granted three months to the panel to submit its recommendations....