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India's public health leaders call for warning labels on food products high in sugar, salt, and saturated fat

India's public health leaders call for warning labels on food products high in sugar, salt, and saturated fat

NEW DELHI: A coalition of India's 29 leading public health and consumer organisations on Tuesday urged the centre to mandate front-of-pack warning labels on pre-packaged food and beverage products high in sugar, salt, and saturated fat (HFSS).
The leading public health leaders gave the call for warning labels, responding to the mounting evidence of health risks posed by HFSS and ultra-processed food (UPF) products.
Prof. K. Srinath Reddy, Honorary Distinguished Professor and Goodwill Ambassador of Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) for Public Health Partnerships, who has been a longstanding voice in India's public health landscape, said: 'India cannot afford to wait while non-communicable diseases (NCDs) escalate and children become marketing targets.'
'Warning labels are simple, effective, and evidence-based,' he added.
The policy statement initiated by Nutrition Advocacy in Public Interest (NAPi) is endorsed by 28 organisations, including PHFI, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), Indian Public Health Association (IPHA), Consumer VOICE, and Diabetes India. Patient groups like Kidney Warriors have also supported the statement.

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Experts urge Centre to implement mandatory warning labels on packaged foods
Experts urge Centre to implement mandatory warning labels on packaged foods

The Hindu

time3 days ago

  • The Hindu

Experts urge Centre to implement mandatory warning labels on packaged foods

A collective of public health experts, scientists, legal professionals, and consumer rights advocates on June 3, 2025 issued a renewed call to the Central government to adopt mandatory front-of-pack warning labels on food and beverage products high in fat, sugar, and salt (HFSS). The demand was made during a virtual press conference convened to launch a national Position Statement on Front-of-Pack Nutrition Labelling (FOPNL). The event, organised by the Nutrition Advocacy in Public Interest (NAPi), brought together more than 25 health and civil society organisations that have endorsed the Position Statement. The context for the conference was the Supreme Court's observation during a hearing in April 2025 on a public interest litigation concerning misleading food packaging and inadequate labelling practices. The Court noted that several widely consumed packaged food products, lacked clear front-of-pack information regarding their health risks. It directed the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to revise and finalise its pending 2022 draft regulation on FOPNL within a three-month timeframe. The Position Statement presented at the conference calls for the immediate implementation of interpretive warning labels on HFSS products to enable informed consumer choices and stem the growing tide of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in India. K. Srinath Reddy, former president of the Public Health Foundation of India, highlighted the dangers of ultra-processed foods (UPFs), likening their health claims to the paradox of breathing polluted air. 'Saying ultra-processed food gives nutrients is like saying polluted air also gives oxygen,' he said. Speakers Arun Gupta, National Convener of NAPi, elaborated on India's regulatory delays and called for a policy that reflects global health standards. Chandrakant Lahariya of the Foundation for People-centric Health Systems, presented scientific findings from India, reiterating that HFSS foods are directly linked to the rise in lifestyle diseases. Diabetologist Banshi Saboo highlighted the alarming increase in diabetes and obesity, stating that consumer choices are heavily influenced by deceptive packaging and unregulated health claims. Ashim Sanyal, chief operating cfficer at VOICE( Voluntary Organisation in Interest of Consumer Education) addressed the issue of label literacy and the confusion caused by star-based or traffic light labelling systems, while senior advocates M.R. Rajendran Nair and Rajiv Shankar Dvivedi detailed the Supreme Court's observations in the ongoing PIL seeking stricter food labelling regulations. Call for WHO-alinged nutrient profiling model In India, a multi-state trial conducted in 2022 by the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai and CMR - NIN in India with over 2,800 participants showed that warning labels outperformed all other forms of labelling in enabling consumers to identify unhealthy products. A separate study by ICMR-NIN confirmed that brief exposure to such labels led to measurable changes in purchasing decisions. Speakers also discussed the Indian Nutrition Rating (INR), a star-based system proposed by the FSSAI, saying that it fails to alert consumers about health risks. Instead, they pointed out, it creates a 'health halo' around processed food products that should be avoided, not encouraged. Drawing on international examples, the panel referred to Chile's use of black octagonal warning labels that state 'High in Sugar,' 'High in Salt,' or 'High in Fat.' The introduction of these labels resulted in a 24 % drop in sugary beverage consumption within the first year of implementation. Mexico adopted similar warning labels after years of rising obesity. These systems are based on nutrient profiling models recommended by the WHO, and they have shown that clear, interpretive warnings are more effective than numeric or star-based labels in influencing consumer behaviour and industry practices. Crucially, the Statement calls for the Indian government to safeguard labelling laws from being weakened in international trade negotiations, such as the ongoing India–UK Free Trade Agreement.

India's public health leaders call for warning labels on food products high in sugar, salt, and saturated fat
India's public health leaders call for warning labels on food products high in sugar, salt, and saturated fat

New Indian Express

time6 days ago

  • New Indian Express

India's public health leaders call for warning labels on food products high in sugar, salt, and saturated fat

NEW DELHI: A coalition of India's 29 leading public health and consumer organisations on Tuesday urged the centre to mandate front-of-pack warning labels on pre-packaged food and beverage products high in sugar, salt, and saturated fat (HFSS). The leading public health leaders gave the call for warning labels, responding to the mounting evidence of health risks posed by HFSS and ultra-processed food (UPF) products. Prof. K. Srinath Reddy, Honorary Distinguished Professor and Goodwill Ambassador of Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) for Public Health Partnerships, who has been a longstanding voice in India's public health landscape, said: 'India cannot afford to wait while non-communicable diseases (NCDs) escalate and children become marketing targets.' 'Warning labels are simple, effective, and evidence-based,' he added. The policy statement initiated by Nutrition Advocacy in Public Interest (NAPi) is endorsed by 28 organisations, including PHFI, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), Indian Public Health Association (IPHA), Consumer VOICE, and Diabetes India. Patient groups like Kidney Warriors have also supported the statement.

Step towards social justice: Kavitha launches United Phule Front
Step towards social justice: Kavitha launches United Phule Front

Hans India

time02-06-2025

  • Hans India

Step towards social justice: Kavitha launches United Phule Front

Hyderabad: A day after inaugurating the office of the Telangana Jagruti, BRS MLC Kalvakuntla Kavitha on Sunday announced the UPF (United Phule Front) as its affiliated organisation and also appointed a new body. After writing a letter to her father and making controversial comments against the party leadership, Kavitha inaugurated the Jagruti office at Banjara Hills on Saturday and also announced that her organisation would work on par with the BRS with all affiliated units like Minority Cells pertaining to Muslims, Sikhs and Christians. Kavitha on Sunday announced that the United Phule Front will work as an affiliate of the Telangana Jagruti. A meeting was held with UPF leaders at the Telangana Jagruti office on Sunday. On this occasion, the new executive committee of UPF was announced. Bolla Sivashankar was appointed as the UPF Convener, Alakunta Hari as the Coordinator, Gattu Ramachandra Rao as the Advisor, and 50 others were appointed as co-conveners. Speaking on the occasion, MLC Kavitha said that it was only with the united struggle of Telangana Jagruti and UPF that the Congress government came down and introduced separate bills providing 42 per cent reservation to BCs in local bodies, education and jobs. She said that Telangana Jagruti and UPF would continue their movements until the BC reservations, which were achieved through many struggles, were implemented. She was angry that the NDA government at the Centre and the Congress government in Telangana were conspiring to put the BC bills in cold storage. She had said that her organisation was fighting for the BC bill for the last year and half. The Jagruti leader said that she would soon announce the action plan to implement the BC Bills. UPF convener Bolla Sivashankar said that Telangana Jagruti and UPF would continue their united movements with the unified goal of implementing the BC reservations. He said that they will tell the people how the central and state governments were acting in a conspiratorial manner by not implementing the increased reservations. He said that they will bring all the BCs together and achieve reservations. Meanwhile, Kavitha wrote a letter to the Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy demanding cancellation of tenders pertaining to Monsoon emergency teams, instant repair teams and call the tenders again as per wards.

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