It's Time for India to Define, Restrict, and Regulate – Protecting Our Nation's Health Demands Nothing Less!

A Forceful Coalition Led by Nutrition Advocacy in Public Interest (NAPi), Backed by Public Health Champions, Legal Experts, and Medical Professionals, Roars for Government Action Against the Menace of High Sugar, Salt, and Fat-Laden Junk Food.

This unified front is the largest and most resolute yet, demanding that the government clamp down on the relentless consumption of unhealthy items like sugary colas, chips, frozen foods, health drinks, chocolates, and pizzas, which are fueling the epidemic of non-communicable diseases including diabetes, obesity, and heart ailments.

Their rallying cry? No more leniency for the purveyors of these health hazards! The consortium vehemently calls for companies peddling such products to be excluded from policymaking discussions regarding packaged foods. They demand stringent legislation to officially categorize and control junk food, imposing marketing restrictions akin to those for infant foods, with a targeted focus on shielding our most vulnerable – our young generation.

The group urged the government to create a special team involving different ministries. This team would work on rules to stop unhealthy food from being sold in schools, hospitals, prisons, and other public places.

Arun Gupta, who leads NAPi, a big group working on nutrition policy, said that the current rules about junk food aren't working. He said this while launching a report called 'The Junk Push,' which talks about how more people are eating ultra-processed foods.

Some big companies like Nestle, Parle Products, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Britannia, ITC, Mondelez, Domino's, and Pizza Hut might be affected if the government changes its policies on packaged foods. One of the concerns is that advertisements for these foods can be misleading.

A high-ranking executive from one of India's major packaged food companies, who preferred not to disclose their name, expressed that while the industry is open to regulation, it's challenging to implement such policies without a unanimous agreement. They also emphasized that it's important for food companies to have a say in policy decisions because they possess expertise in understanding consumer behavior within their respective product categories, knowledge that public health advocates may lack.

A spokesperson from Nestle India responded by stating that they haven't had a chance to review the report yet and, therefore, cannot provide a comment at this time.

Members of the coalition pointed out that certain advertising practices, such as using celebrities to endorse products and making unverified health claims, especially when targeting children, fail to meet the essential requirements of the Consumer Protection Act 2019. The law mandates clear and upfront disclosure of key nutritional information, such as sugar, salt, or saturated fat content, which is often missing in such advertisements.

Gupta, a former member of the Prime Minister's Council on India's nutrition challenges, noted that current legal frameworks and guidelines in India lack the ability to effectively stop misleading ads for pre-packaged junk foods or address misleading health claims and health risks.

The introduction of front-of-the-pack labeling with health star ratings, proposed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSAI), remains in a draft stage due to disagreements among food companies, health organizations, and activists.

An executive from FSSAI stated, "We haven't reviewed the report." The regulator has previously emphasized the importance of consensus among all stakeholders, including food companies and consumer health groups, in shaping policies.

HPS Sachdev, an epidemiologist and researcher, commented that the involvement of the food industry in front-of-pack labeling policy-making raises concerns. He stressed the need for food and nutrition policy development to be free from conflicts of interest.

PepsiCo, Britannia, ITC, Coca-Cola, Mondelez, Parle Products, and Jubilant FoodWorks (operator of Domino's Pizza) did not respond to inquiries.

Meanwhile, an inter-ministerial committee established by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs is examining gaps in existing policies, but there is no update on its progress.

Reference: Economic Times Article dated 23-Sep-2023