Following Constitutional Court Ruling, Health Minister to Mandate Businesses to Include Nutri-Level Labels

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin will require businesses to include Nutri-Level labels on their food and beverage products.

This obligation stems from the Constitutional Court's (MK) Decision Number 110/PUU-XXIV/2026, which mandates that businesses must display a color-coded label on food and beverage packaging that contains sugar, salt, and fat.

“With the MK ruling, the Ministry of Health, which originally planned a gradual approach, must now immediately require businesses to comply,” said Budi during a press conference on Thursday (22/10/2026), as quoted from a Kemenkes YouTube broadcast on Friday (23/10/2026).

Nutri-Level is a labeling system conveyed through color levels from A to D to indicate the amounts of sugar, salt, and fat in a product.

This regulation is outlined in the Minister of Health's Decision (KMK) Number HK.01.07/MENKES/301/2026 concerning the labeling of nutrition and health messages on ready-to-eat foods.

Before this MK ruling, the Ministry of Health had not yet mandated businesses to include Nutri-Level labels.

Following the court's decision, Budi noted that there will be policy implications related to the implementation of the Nutri-Level labels.

One of these implications is that the Ministry of Health must develop oversight instruments for labeling and coordinate with relevant ministries/agencies to establish maximum limits for sugar, salt, and fat.

“We also need to improve oversight and coordinate with the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture (Kemenko PMK), as the authority for setting maximum limits lies with Kemenko PMK,” Budi stated.

MK Mandates Businesses to Include Sugar and Salt Labels

Previously, the MK ruled that businesses are required to include color-coded labels on food and beverage packaging containing sugar, salt, and fat.

In Decision Number 110/PUU-XXIV/2026, the MK partially granted the request and stated that Article 7(b) of Law Number 8 of 1999 on Consumer Protection contradicts the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia and lacks enforceability under certain conditions unless interpreted as, “The obligation of businesses is to provide true, clear, honest, and adequate information about the conditions and guarantees of goods and/or services, including the inclusion of color-coded labels and symbols on the packaging of food and beverages containing sugar, salt, and fat, as well as providing explanations for usage, repairs, and maintenance.”

“The MK also stated that Article 148 of Law Number 17 of 2023 on Health (State Gazette of the Republic of Indonesia 2023 Number 105, Additional State Gazette of the Republic of Indonesia Number 6887) contradicts the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia and lacks enforceability under certain conditions unless interpreted as, 'The Central and Regional Governments are responsible for regulating and overseeing the production, processing, and distribution of food and beverages as referred to in Articles 146 and 147, including requiring businesses to include color-coded labels and symbols on the packaging of food and beverages containing sugar, salt, and fat,'” Chief Justice Suhartoyo read from Decision Number 110/PUU-XXIV/2026 on Tuesday (30/9/2026).

In its legal considerations, the MK evaluated that the need for information regarding sugar, salt, and fat content is inseparable from efforts to protect public health.

“Excessive consumption of sugar, salt, and fat can increase the risk of non-communicable diseases, such as obesity, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, stroke, and type 2 diabetes,” Justice M. Guntur Hamzah read from the legal considerations of Decision Number 110/PUU-XXIV/2026.

He continued, the inclusion of information about sugar, salt, and fat content on food and beverage packaging is intended not only as a means of informing consumers.

Moreover, this information is a requirement that must be fulfilled by businesses and can incur legal consequences if violated.

The obligation for businesses to provide information to consumers must be viewed within the framework of Article 7(b) of the Consumer Protection Law, which requires businesses to provide true, clear, and honest information regarding the conditions and guarantees of goods and/or services.

In this context, the meaning of "clear" is not merely related to the inclusion of product content information on the packaging, but also to the availability of information that can be accessed, read, and understood by consumers, allowing them to better evaluate the products they choose to consume.

The court emphasized that the requirement for labeling in the Consumer Protection Law remains vital to correlate with oversight functions carried out by consumer protection agencies, including consumer advocacy groups.

“Thus, Article 7(b) of Law 8/1999 must be declared contrary to the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia and lacks enforceability under certain conditions unless interpreted as, 'The obligation of businesses is to provide true, clear, honest, and adequate information regarding the conditions and guarantees of goods and/or services, including the inclusion of color-coded labels and symbols on the packaging of food and beverages containing sugar, salt, and fat, as well as providing explanations for usage, repairs, and maintenance,' as elaborated in the judgement of Decision a quo,” Guntur added.