Ask Who Sold You The Mithai & Namkeen

The PM recently emphasised the need to reduce weight, citing an estimate that over a quarter of India’s population could be obese by 2050. The message, just a week before the start of the festival season that marks the arrival of spring, was timely. While it’s important for people to take care of their health by cutting down on consumption of food high in fat, sugar and salt, there’s substantial evidence to show that regulating the promotion of such food results in population-level improvement in diet.Sweets and snacks are an integral part of festivals and celebrations in most cultures, including India. Till these remained the occasional indulgence in a seriously food-insecure country, there was little cause for alarm. There were three or at best four major festivals in a year where bingeing was the norm. However, most sweets and snacks have moved from being made at home or in small neighbourhood shops, to being produced on an industrial scale with preservatives and harmful ingredients. These, when consumed year-round, lead to overconsumption of fat, sugar and salt, proven to be among the major causes of the rising burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs).The increasing share of industrially produced ultra-processed food (UPF) in India’s diet has been documented in the recent household consumption survey. The National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) defines UPF as food and beverage products that have undergone extensive industrial processing and contain a high number of additives such as preservatives, sweeteners, emulsifiers, and other substances not commonly used in culinary preparations.These additives are for hyperpalatability, affordability and longer shelf life. Study after study has shown that the rise in consumption of UPF leads to a wide range of adverse health outcomes like obesity, chronic inflammatory disorders, cardiovascular diseases, and mental disorders. These NCDs have become the leading cause of death and suffering in India, and across the world.Many of the NCDs attributed to this rising consumption of UPF are characterised as ‘lifestyle diseases’. As many public health scholars have pointed out, the lazy language of ‘lifestyle’ is used to insinuate that these are about ‘personal choices’. For instance, it does not talk of diabetes and hypertension among those undernourished, hardly a lifestyle choice. Those suffering from undernutrition constitute a much higher percentage in India than those who are obese. The shifting of responsibility onto individuals deflects from the role of society and govts in regulating the aggressive promotion of unhealthy food products and the failure to make healthy food accessible and affordable. It doesn’t acknowledge the social and commercial determinants behind the rise of these diseases.Economic Survey 2024-25 clearly says vigorous promotional and marketing strategies have created a conducive environment for UPF to be a thriving business in India. According to a 2023 WHO report, India’s consumption of UPF shot up from about $900mn in 2006 to over $37.9bn in 2019. The Survey, which pushes for “deregulation wherever possible and necessary”, acknowledges areas where more and/or appropriate regulatory intervention may be necessary and flags the promotion of UPF as one such area.“Scientific evidence abounds that the consumption of ultra-processed food (High in Fat, Salt and Sugar or HFSS) is a big factor in undermining both physical and mental health. In this regard, globally, self-regulation has been ineffective. Stringent front-of-the-pack labelling rules are needed and to be enforced,” states the Eco Survey, adding that “it is not an exaggeration to suggest that the country’s future growth potential rides a lot on this measure”.It categorically states that the huge business scale of UPF has been built on “marketing strategies involving misleading advertisements and celebrity endorsements targeting consumer behaviour”. Often, “unhealthy packaged food items are advertised and marketed as healthy products”.However, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) dithers on mandatory warning labels in front-of-pack labelling for junk food. This, despite new dietary guidelines issued by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the apex body for medical research, and NIN that clearly define what constitutes high fat, salt and sugar food.Centre’s National Multisectoral Action Plan for 2017-2022 included enactment of laws and other regulatory measures. Ministries of I&B, commerce, consumer affairs and food distribution, and health were to regulate promotion of demerit goods (like those high in fat, sugar and salt, alcohol and tobacco) through “amendment of advertisement code of Cable Television Networks Rules and norms of journalist conduct and Trademark rules”. No such regulation has happened.Despite global evidence that clear warning labels on unhealthy food, increased taxation on UPF and regulation on advertising are highly effective in reducing their consumption, the reluctance to frame stringent regulation to control their promotion and to push industry through laws to cut down fat, sugar and salt in their products is inexplicable. Framing the problem as primarily a matter of individual choice, cannot address the issue that needs to be tackled at the population level.