GST 2.0: A Threat to Dietary Health

• GST 2.0 in India will simplify GST rates into 5% and 18%, with a 40% bracket for “sinful” and ultra-luxury goods.

• Affordability gains could bypass the goal of healthier consumption, as pizza bread will drop from 5% to zero and sugar-based products will move from 12-18% to 5%.

• The 40% bracket for aerated and sugar-based beverages is a public health win, but it also moves a variety of sugar-based calorically dense and nutritionally poor foods to the 5% bracket.

• The review of food labelling rules is crucial as without trustworthy food labelling, affordability gains can tilt demand in favor of unhealthy products.

• The Supreme Court has indicated a preference for warning labels over health star ratings in India’s front-of-pack labelling (FOPL) debate.

• A public health consensus calls for warning labels, the use of WHO-SEARO or ICMR-NIN thresholds, and a science-led process insulated from industry capture.

• A mandatory “high in” warnings system with robust thresholds can differentially apply GST to compliant and noncompliant products.

• A threshold-linked structure can close the gap between penalising sugary beverages while discounting sugary foods.

• Food advertising plays a key role in linking tax cuts with changing consumer behavior.

• India lacks a comprehensive HFSS advertising regime, and ad restrictions across TV, print, and social media should be contingent on FOPL status.

• GST 2.0 won’t improve Indians’ health by itself, but the country needs mandatory FOPL warnings with thresholds aligned to WHO-SEARO NPM and ICMR-NIN 2024 norms.

GST on Healthy Food is important topic for Civil service exam (WBCS).

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