Fanta India vs Britain: Why Companies Have Different Recipes for Different Countries? Food Labelling Debate Reappears

AN EARLIER DEBATE has again gone viral on social media, with comparisons being drawn between Fanta sold in India and Fanta sold in Britain. The difference in the same brand and the same product is significant, with the Indian product containing more sugar and artificial colouring. This has once again highlighted the long-standing debate over food labelling regulations in India. A Fanta can sold in Britain has 63 calories, but the same product in India has three times more sugar. To top that, the Indian Fanta contains artificial colouring that is not present in the British version.

In many European countries, the use of artificial colours in food products needs to be followed by prominent health warnings. However, when it comes to India, there is no warning with colours that consumers can easily see. The information is instead present in small print on the back of the bottle packaging, along with a black-and-white colour table. This difference has made many people question whether people in India are getting enough clear information about the packaged food they are consuming.

Indian KitKat, Fanta, Maggi Different From Foreign Versions

This pattern of different recipes by multinational companies is not rare. Many food companies do the same depending on local regulations and other factors. A social media personality known as Food Pharmer, Revant Himatsingka, has highlighted the differences between products sold in India and other countries. He has given examples such as Nestle’s KitKat, Fanta, and Maggi in India and Europe.

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In India, standard KitKat products reportedly contain around 4.5% cocoa, while the Australian version of the milk chocolate has at least 22% cocoa. Similarly, Maggi noodles in India contain palm oil, while in several other European countries, they use sunflower oil. Some Maggi products that are made in India and sold in Britain carry red front-of-pack warnings about their salt content. Himatsingka has described this as Indian consumers being treated differently from consumers in other markets.

FSSAI Food Labelling Rules vs International Standards

This issue has come amid a wider discussion among Indians regarding front-of-pack nutritional warnings. Earlier, the Indian food regulatory body, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), was also working on ways to make nutritional information easier for consumers to understand. Several years ago, it came up with proposals, one of which involved prominent warnings related to salt, sugar, or fat.

These warnings help consumers identify whether a food product is suitable for them without having to study the small nutritional information printed on the back. Similar systems are used in several other countries. However, according to Reuters, the FSSAI moved away from the idea of colour-coded warnings in August 2026. Instead, the regulatory body proposed a black-and-white table displaying the levels of sugar, fat, and salt in packaged food products.

As for the reason behind the sudden change, the FSSAI argued that Indian dietary habits are different from those in other countries and that international models of labelling cannot simply be copied for Indian products. This move was challenged in the Supreme Court by several public health experts, with the apex court scrutinizing the FSSAI's decision. The court told the FSSAI to examine international models and find a way forward, stressing that public health is a serious issue and needs to be protected.

The Reuters report also mentioned a meeting in March 2026 between food companies and FSSAI officials. At the meeting, food companies argued that warning labels could oversimplify nutritional information and were not guaranteed to change consumer habits.

At the meeting, Mili Bhattacharya, a senior Coca-Cola India executive, said that the idea of such labelling was seen as very simple, but the issue was more complicated.

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According to her, if consumers were not reading the ingredient lists normally provided on product packaging, it was unclear why their eating habits would suddenly change simply because of a warning sign on the packaging. She said consumers needed to be educated about ideal portions and a balanced diet.

After the March meeting, the FSSAI told the Supreme Court that following international packaging standards would be difficult for India. The court stressed the need for and importance of protecting public health in India.

India’s Growing Health Concerns 

India’s health concerns are growing, with many people talking about obesity and diet-related diseases that are increasing in the country. According to a recent study published in The Lancet, around 450 million Indians could be overweight or obese by 2050. With this, public health experts are arguing for the need for front-of-pack information to help consumers make informed choices.

Many countries internationally have adopted similar practices. In India, too, the issue is gaining attention on social media, with many people and health experts talking about the issue and criticizing the nutritional content of packaged food. According to industry estimates cited by Reuters, nearly 80% of products in India’s more than $100-billion packaged food and beverage market could be considered high in fat, sugar, or salt.

Health policy experts have highlighted that the industry’s resistance to warning labels could be linked to concerns about the potential impact on sales.

(Edited by Harsh Pandey)

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