Gazette amends colour-coded labelling rules for sugary drinks

Colombo, July 2 (Daily Mirror) - An Extraordinary Gazette Notification has been issued amending the regulations on colour-coded labelling for sugar-containing liquid food products.

The amendments, issued by Health and Mass Media Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa under Section 32 of the Food Act No. 26 of 1980, were published in the Extraordinary Gazette dated June 23.

According to the new regulations, updated guidelines have been introduced on the design and display of the red, amber and green colour codes that must appear on packaging of sugar-containing beverages. An alternative logo has also been introduced for use in cases where packaging space is limited, particularly on glass bottles.

The amendments further define a new category of food products supplied under “Business to Business,” referring to items used exclusively for further processing, preparation or resale, and not directly sold to consumers.

Under the revised schedule, beverages containing more than 8.0 grams of sugar per 100 millilitres must be labelled in red. Products containing between 2.5 and 8.0 grams of sugar per 100 millilitres will carry an amber label, while those with less than 2.5 grams will be marked in green.