In a significant move aimed at improving food hygiene and consumer safety, the Indian state (Karnataka) High Court has directed the state government to frame comprehensive health and safety regulations for street vendors and food trucks. The Court has also instructed the Central Government to develop uniform national guidelines for implementing food safety standards across small, medium, and large restaurants.

The directive was issued by Justice M. Nagaprasanna on September 19, following a petition filed by the Karnataka Pradesh Hotel & Restaurants Association and the Bruhat Bengaluru Hotels Association. The order was recently made public.

The petitioners sought to quash a 2012 government notification mandating all states to implement Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) regulations. They argued that certain provisions were unconstitutional, impractical, and not suited to Indian operating conditions.

Senior Counsel Udaya Holla, representing the petitioners, contended that the regulations violated the fundamental right to equality, as they imposed uniform requirements on all establishments irrespective of scale or resources. He further claimed that some standards were “paraphrased from American laws” and failed to reflect local realities.

Countering these arguments, Deputy Solicitor General Shanti Bhushan, appearing for the Centre and the state, maintained that the laws were presumed constitutional and based on internationally recognized benchmarks designed to safeguard public health.

While the Court rejected the plea to declare certain FSSAI regulations unconstitutional, it acknowledged the practical challenges faced by restaurants of varying sizes. The bench observed,

“Even food trucks are to be regulated, as long as there is human consumption of food; the food that is consumed should be healthy.”

Emphasizing the need for tailored yet stringent oversight, the Court instructed the Karnataka Government to develop a monitoring mechanism to ensure compliance with the proposed health and safety standards.

The ruling marks a major step toward strengthening food safety governance in India’s hospitality sector, ensuring that both formal restaurants and informal food vendors maintain uniform hygiene and safety standards for consumer protection.