Legislative Measures to Curb Unhealthy Food Intake in India

• Health Ministry orders government departments to display oil, sugar, and trans-fat content in Indian snacks to highlight health risks.

• The campaign will be piloted in AIIMS Nagpur and rolled out to other cities.

• The initiative follows the CBSE’s directive to establish’sugar boards’ to monitor and reduce children’s sugar intake.

• The initiative aims to fill the gap in understanding the amount of oil and sugar in Indian snacks, acting as “visual behavioural nudges”.

• Despite the Health Ministry’s efforts, there has been no introduction of clear front-of-package labels or regulation of unhealthy food advertising, marketing, and promotion.

• The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Regulation was required to be amended for inclusion of front-of-pack labelling and detailed nutrient labelling.

• A 2022 study found that warning labels outperformed all other forms of front-of-pack labelling in identifying unhealthy products.