New Delhi, Aug. 28 -- India's food safety regulator has told the Supreme Court it wants mandatory warning labels on the front of packaged food and drink cartons, marking a sharp reversal from its earlier stance that matching global labelling norms was too difficult.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has proposed a red hexagonal warning mark for products found to be high in two or more of three nutrients, saturated fat, sugar and salt, according to a court filing seen by news agency Reuters.

The document has not been made public.

What the label will say

Under the proposal, packs would carry declarations such as "HIGH FAT," "HIGH SUGAR," "HIGH SALT" or "HIGHLY SWEETENED BEVERAGE" so that consumers can readily iden...