New Delhi, Sept. 12 -- For most consumers, the front of a food packet is where trust begins and ends. A cheerful "100% natural", a bold "high in protein" or a reassuring "no added preservatives" is often enough to tip a shopper towards putting a product in their cart. Few people flip the pack over, and fewer still question whether the manufacturing date printed on it is genuine. Two recent developments in India suggest that this blind trust may be badly misplaced.

Earlier this year, the Supreme Court expressed sharp displeasure with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) over its prolonged delay in rolling out front-of-pack warning labels, with the bench reportedly remarking that the regulator's inaction gave the impres...