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Time of India
a day ago
- Health
- Time of India
Apollo Cancer Centres launch oral cancer screening
Mysuru: Tobacco use is no longer a personal habit — it's a national health crisis. India accounts for nearly one-third of global oral cancer cases, with 77,000 new diagnoses and 52,000 deaths annually. The survival rate stands at just 50%, significantly lower than in developed countries, said Dr Naveen Jayaram Anvekar, medical oncologist at Apollo BGS Hospitals, Mysuru. This alarming trend is compounded by rising tobacco consumption across both urban and rural India, as highlighted by the Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (2022–23), which noted increased spending on paan, tobacco and other intoxicants, he said. On account of World No Tobacco Day (31 May), Apollo Cancer Centres (ACC) has launched OraLife, a screening initiative focused on the early detection of oral cancer. As part of this initiative, ACC has partnered with the Isha Foundation to support individuals seeking to overcome tobacco addiction. This collaboration integrates physical health interventions with mental and emotional wellness support. Notably, smokeless tobacco use is rising among women, contributing to a narrowing gender gap in incidence rates, he said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like ¡Trading con IA en Chile ayuda a usuarios a obtener ganancias potenciales! Mainhubfb Más información Undo Dr Ramya Yethadka, surgical oncologist, said, "Oral cancer is highly treatable when detected early. We urge everyone over 30, especially tobacco users, to undergo screening." As part of this initiative, individuals will have access to a 7-minute guided meditation led by Sadhguru, said Dr Veena of the Isha Foundation. Aman Nayak, Medical Superintendent, Apollo Hospital, was present.
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Business
- Indian Express
Poverty fell significantly last year. Much of it was driven by GDP growth
The Household Consumption Expenditure Survey for 2022-23 and the 2023-24 reports by the National Statistics Office (NSO) enable us to arrive at estimates of poverty and inequality for recent years. Several researchers have drawn up estimates using the 2022-23 survey. Very few have, however, used the 2023-24 survey. We look at trends in head count ratio, the depth of poverty and trends in inequality from 2011-12 to 2023-24. The poverty lines (monthly per capita consumption expenditure) based on the methodology of the Rangarajan Committee for rural areas are Rs 972 in 2011-12, Rs. 1,837 in 2022-23 and Rs 1,940 in 2023-24. The poverty lines for urban areas are Rs1,407 in 2011-12, Rs 2,603 in 2022-23 and Rs 2,736 in 2023-24. In other words, for a family of five living in an urban area, the poverty line in 2023-24 will be Rs 13,680. The estimated total (rural and urban) poverty ratios declined from 29.5 per cent in 2011-12 to 9.5 per cent in 2022-23 and to 4.9 per cent in 2023-24. Poverty declined significantly between 2011-12 and 2023-24 (2.05 percentage points per annum), though the rate of decline was slightly less compared to the period 2004-05 to 2011-12 (2.2 percentage points per annum). The World Bank recently released a Poverty & Equity Brief for over 100 developing countries. It says India has significantly reduced poverty over the past decade. Extreme poverty (living on less than $2.15 per day in purchasing power parity terms) declined from 16.2 per cent in 2011-12 to 2.3 per cent in 2022-23 — more than 170 million were lifted above conditions of extreme poverty in this period. The number of people below the poverty line criteria for lower-middle-income countries — $3.65 per day — fell from 61.8 per cent to 28.1 per cent. Poverty declined significantly between 2022-23 to 2023-24. In a year, it fell from 9.5 per cent to 4.9 per cent. What can this achievement be attributed to? Poverty is determined by factors such as GDP growth, prices and safety nets. GDP growth increased from 7.6 per cent in 2022-23 to 9.2 per cent in 2023-24 — an increase of 1.6 percentage points in one year. The consumer price index (CPI) declined from 6.7 per cent in 2022-23 to 5.4 per cent in 2023-24 — a decline of 1.3 percentage points. However, food inflation increased from 6.6 per cent to 7.5 per cent during the same period. There does not seem to be significant changes in welfare programmes that make up the safety next. It appears, therefore, that GDP growth could be a proximate reason for the decline in poverty in 2023-24 as compared to that of 2022-23. However, we need to exercise caution before coming to a definite conclusion, based on a year of steep change. Another survey could confirm if this is a trend. We also examine the depth of poverty for India by looking at poverty ratios using different cut-offs of the poverty line (PL) for the period 2011-12 to 2023-24. The first issue is whether the poverty ratios with raised poverty line cut-offs are declining as fast as those with the actual poverty line. The second is about the location of the poor — are they placed much below the poverty line or around the poverty line? The poverty ratio (rural and urban) declined by 20 percentage points between 2011-12 and 2022-23 and by 24.6 percentage points between 2011-12 and 2023-24. Even if we raise the poverty line to 125 per cent, the reduction in poverty ratio is 28.4 percentage points between 2011-12 to 2022-23 and 34.2 percentage points between 2011-12 and 2023-24 (Table 1). Higher reduction is also true for the poverty ratio based on 115 per cent and 150 per cent of poverty line. The head count ratio is criticised on the ground that it does not measure the 'depth' of poverty. It is seen, however, that more than 50 per cent of the poor lie between the third and fourth quarter of the poverty line. This is true for both the years — 2011-12 and 2022-23. In fact, in 2022-23, 56 per cent of the rural poor and total poor fall in this segment. In a similar vein, a large section of the non-poor are just above the poverty line — between 115 and 125 per cent of this yardstick. Inequality in consumption also declined during the period 2011-12 to 2022-23 and from 2022-23 to 2023-24. The Gini coefficient estimated by the National Statistical office shows that inequality fell from 0.310 in 2011-12 to 0.282 in 2022-23. The decline in inequality was higher for urban areas. However, it is surprising to see that inequality in consumption declined significantly in one year — 2022-23 to 2023-24. The Gini coefficient fell from 0.282 in 2022-23 to 0.253 points — a decline of 0.029 points. On the other hand, the decline during the 11 year period 2011-12 to 2022-23 is almost similar — 0.028 points. One has to examine the significant decline in inequality in one year between 2022-23 and 2023-24. To conclude, there has been a significant decline in poverty. The poverty ratio is now in single digits. The overall inequality in consumption expenditure has come down a bit. Significant decline in poverty in one year between 2022-23 and 2023-24 needs further confirmation. Our analysis shows that most of the poor are concentrated around the poverty line — this makes poverty more manageable. Rangarajan is Former Chairman, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister and Former Governor, Reserve Bank of India. Dev is Chairman, Institute for Development Studies, Andhra Pradesh and Former Vice Chancellor, IGIDR, Mumbai
New Indian Express
4 days ago
- Business
- New Indian Express
The number of poor are falling in India; is it time to shift the poverty line now?
Last month, the World Bank released yet another set of poverty estimates for India and bang, bang. The hammer dropped. Extreme poverty is nearly dead. Just some 3.3 crore Indians are extremely poor as against 23 crore a decade ago. According to the World Bank's Spring 2025 Poverty and Equity Brief, India has lifted 171 million out of extreme poverty. It also made strong gains in poverty reduction at the lower-middle-income level -- measured at $3.65 per day -- which fell from 61.8% to 28.1%, lifting 378 million out of poverty. The latest estimates, coming in the backdrop of intense trade and terror tensions, sprinkle some much-needed stardust on the macroeconomic front. Importantly, it allows the government to flash a V-sign as the numbers are in line with India's recent Household Consumption Expenditure Survey 2022-23, which too indicated that extreme poverty has been ripped out by the roots pegging poverty rate somewhere between 2.8 crore and 7 crore. The previous official poverty estimate in 2011 counted 26 crore, or 21.9% of the population as extremely poor. Lastly, the estimates also conform with the 2020 IMF working paper by economists Dr Surjit Bhalla, Karan Bhasin and Arvind Virmani, which drew sharp criticism and praise for projecting poverty rate at 2.5%. Meanwhile, according to the World Bank report, if the five most populous states including Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, West Bengal, and Madhya Pradesh accounted for 65% of India's extreme poor in 2011-12, they contributed to two-thirds of the overall decline in extreme poverty by 2022-23. But hey, hold the jubilation. Not all in the country are convinced that poverty has well and truly declined to the extent the statistics suggest and call for careful scrutiny. Critics counter that there's really no glory in telling people stuff they either don't believe or cannot accept as ground reality. They reason that in the absence of broad-based growth, there's no way of spinning the math to make poverty numbers look rosy and without growth, nothing can actually kill poverty. Not facts. Not figures. And certainly not a flock of forecasts.
The Hindu
22-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Analysing poverty levels in India by comparing various surveys
Himanshu et al, 'Poverty Decline in India after 2011–12', The Economic and Political Weekly, Vol 60, Issue No: 15, April 12, 2025 A recent paper has estimated that poverty reduction in India slowed down significantly after 2011-12. While poverty levels of 37% in 2004-05 fell to 22% by 2011-12, it has since fallen only by 18% in 2022-23, the paper finds based on its own calculations. The paper, titled 'Poverty Decline in India after 2011–12: Bigger Picture Evidence', authored by Himanshu of Jawaharlal Nehru University, and Peter Lanjouw and Philipp Schirmer of the Vrije University in Amsterdam, noted that India hasn't had an official poverty estimate since 2011-12. In the absence of an official estimate, a number of unofficial and often contradictory estimates have been made, of which this one is the latest. Three methodologies The paper notes that the various contradictory estimates can essentially be clubbed into three broad buckets based on their methodology. The most common approach, it noted, has been to use alternative socio-economic surveys of the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO), since there are significant comparability issues between the Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES) of 2022-23 and 2011-12. There are no intervening surveys, either. The HCES for 2017-18 was scrapped by the government, citing 'methodological issues'. In the NSSO's 71st round, which covered the January-June 2014 period, the government introduced a consumption expenditure measure that was derived from a single question in the survey called the Usual Monthly Per Capita Consumption Expenditure (UMPCE). This UMPCE was used for all subsequent rounds of the NSSO surveys as well as in the Periodic Labour Force Surveys (PLFS). However, as the authors correctly note in their paper, this measure can't be compared to earlier estimates of consumption because it is based on a single question 'with no clear definition of what it comprises'. According to this method, poverty estimates range between 26-30% for 2019-20. The second approach has been used by the economist Surjit Bhalla and his colleagues in 2022 in a paper in which they used Private Final Consumption Expenditure (PFCE) estimates from the government's National Accounts Statistics (NAS) to derive consumption aggregates after 2011-12. This method basically scaled the consumption expenditure data from the HCES 2011–12 based on the implicit growth rate of PFCE after 2011-12. The third broad approach — and the one used by the authors themselves — is to use survey-to-survey imputation methods. This basically means data gaps in one survey can be filled using information from a related base survey. This method, the authors note, has occasionally been used by World Bank researchers to update the World Bank's Poverty and Inequality Platform (PIP) database. Looking at different surveys This approach is significantly prone to somewhat divergent results, based on the different surveys used to complement each other, but are useful in revealing trends in data. For example, the paper notes that one estimate by David Locke Newhouse and Pallavi Vyas used the 2011-12 HCES and the 2014-15 survey on Consumption of Services and Durables to estimate that poverty in India declined from 22% in 2011-12 to 15% in 2014-15. Similarly, Ifeanyi Nzegwu Edochie and their colleagues in 2022, used the 2017-18 survey on Social Consumption on Health to estimate poverty at 10% for 2017–18, which confirmed the trend that poverty had reduced since 2011-12. In 2025, Sutirtha Sinha Roy and Roy van der Weide used a radical approach to apply the survey-to-survey imputation using a private sector survey. They used the Consumer Pyramid Household Survey (CPHS) for 2019 by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) along with the 2011-12 Consumer Expenditure Survey (CES). Their estimate was that poverty was around 10% in 2019. Himanshu et al also use this survey-to-survey imputation method. However, the authors note that their strategy differs from previous attempts in three aspects. First, they have used the Tendulkar Committee's poverty lines as opposed to the World Bank's poverty lines. Second, they have used the employment surveys of the NSSO for imputation. The Employment-Unemployment Survey (EUS) is a companion survey to the 2011-12 CES, and is based on similar sampling design and survey implementation procedures. Further, the PLFS, which replaced the EUS in 2017-18, is modelled on the EUS, the authors note. What this essentially means is that the two surveys Himanshu and his colleagues used to impute data are similar in their methodology and parameters, yielding a more accurate fit in the data. Third, the authors note that, unlike the World Bank studies, their own imputation models are estimated at the State level or include State-fixed effects when estimated at the sector level. Their methodology shows that while poverty based on the Tendulkar Committee poverty lines fell sharply between 2004-05 and 2011-12 — from 37% to 22% — it subsequently has fallen only to around 18% by 2022. Based on these estimates, the authors add, the number of poor persons in India fell only slightly since 2011-12, from 250 million persons to about 225 million in 2022–23. Different trends across States State-level trends derived from their methodology suggest differing trends across States over this period. Notably, the authors find that Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous State, seems to have markedly reduced its poverty rate. 'However, in other historically poor States, such as Jharkhand and Bihar, progress was much slower,' they added. 'It is noteworthy that in several of the large central and southern States, such as Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, poverty reduction appears to have stagnated.' Importantly, the authors do acknowledge that 'a full resolution of the present debate' on poverty is unlikely to be forthcoming without new government data that can be compared with previous years' data. However, they also try to back up their findings using other data sources that point to the same conclusions. For example, they noted that the growth of India's Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which averaged 6.9% per annum between 2004-05 and 2011-12, slowed to 5.7% between 2011-12 and 2022-23. This, they said, is consistent with a slower decline in poverty reduction after 2011-12. Similarly, they point out that the Wage Rates in Rural India (WRRI) data compiled by the Labour Bureau on real wages points to a slowdown in wage rates. It shows that the annual growth rate of wages fell from 4.13% per year between 2004-05 and 2011-12 to 2.3% per year between 2011-12 and 2022-23. Thirdly, the authors point out that while the absolute number of workers in agriculture declined by 33 million between 2004-05 and 2011-12, and by a further 33 million by 2017-18, this trend has reversed since then with 68 million workers being added to the agriculture sector since 2017–18. One consequence of the rising workforce in agriculture, the authors point out, has been the decline in the growth of agricultural productivity in recent years. Lower productivity leads to lower wages, which leads to higher poverty levels. This paper is hardly going to be the last word on poverty estimates, with many more sure to follow. However, as the authors themselves conclude, there's more than enough evidence to show that poverty reduction efforts need to be accelerated.
India Today
02-05-2025
- Health
- India Today
India's junk food epidemic: Instant, packaged, ultra-processed
(NOTE: This article was originally published in the India Today issue dated April 28, 2025)A tiered tiramisu or a double-patty chicken burger—just a glance can set off cravings. That's no accident. Our brains are hardwired to seek sugar and salt, a relic of our hunter-gatherer past when such indulgences were rare but vital for today, ultra-processed foods dominate our diets. Known as HFSS (high in fat, salt and sugar) foods—or simply junk food—they are factory-made, energy-dense and packed with additives like preservatives, sweeteners and emulsifiers—ingredients you don't typically find in home kitchens. They commonly masquerade as chocolates, sugary treats, salty snacks, beverages, ready-to-cook and ready-to-eat meals, instant noodles and ice cream. Once occasional treats, their easy reach—on kitchen shelves or through delivery apps—have turned them into a daily habit, and a dangerously addictive one. So much so that the Supreme Court, hearing a public interest litigation on April 9, gave the Centre a three-month deadline to make labelling on packaged food stronger. The move aims to raise public awareness about food intake and encourage informed market size of ultra-processed foods—chocolate and sugar confectionery, salty snacks, ice cream, biscuits, cold beverages, processed meat, ready-made and convenience foods, and breakfast cereals—grew at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10 per cent from 2019, reaching Rs 2.58 lakh crore in 2024. It is projected to rise to Rs 3.98 lakh crore by 2029, according to market research firm Euromonitor. In fact, the share of packaged (highly processed and calorie-dense) foods in household food budgets doubled from 6.5 per cent in 2015 to 12 per cent in 2019, with household spends on outside food increasing by 32 per cent, from Rs 61,900 crore in 2015 to Rs 82,000 crore in 2019 (Global Food Policy Report, 2024). The government's Household Consumption Expenditure Survey 2023-24 confirmed the trend: beverages, refreshments and processed food were the top food expenses in urban and rural households, a shift away from essential food The rising consumption of HFSS foods is taking a significant toll on public health. A 2024 research paper published in The BMJ journal, which examined data from nearly 9.9 million people across multiple countries, linked 32 harmful health issues to consumption of ultra-processed food. These include a higher risk of cancer, obesity, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, mental health issues such as depression and sleep disorders, heart disease, chronic kidney disease (see The Silent Threat), leading to early death. Within the country, as research published in the journal PLOS One in June 2024 highlighted, the burden of lifestyle diseases has tripled since 1995, growing at a much faster rate than communicable no surprise, then, that a major study—backed by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the Union health ministry, and published in The Lancet in July 2023—found that 101 million Indians, or 11.4 per cent of the population, have diabetes. What is more concerning is that 15.3 per cent (136 million people) have prediabetes, 28.6 per cent suffer from obesity and 35.5 per cent have hypertension—all linked to rising junk food consumption. 'The alarming rise in lifestyle diseases is largely driven by poor dietary habits,' says Dr R.M. Anjana, managing director of Chennai-based Dr Mohan's Diabetes Specialities Centre and lead author of the ICMR research. 'The increased consumption of ultra-processed foods, which are high in calories but poor in nutrients, is leading to an obesity epidemic, which in turn becomes the causal pathway to several other metabolic disorders,' she says. The situation is worse among children. While sedentary lifestyle and stress also contribute to lifestyle diseases among adults, unhealthy diets are the chief reason for such ailments among children and adolescents. Their junk food intake, in fact, is said to be at least three times that of The economic consequences are just as alarming. The ICMR estimates that 56.4 per cent of India's total disease burden—measured in financial costs, hospitalisation expenses and lost productivity due to illness, including sick leave from school and work—is linked to the rising consumption of junk food. However, despite the severe health risks, our regulations remain woefully short of prioritising public health over profits for industry. (Graphic by Tanmoy Chakraborty)advertisementAccording to the 2024 Global Food Policy report by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), at least 38 per cent of Indians consumed unhealthy foods while 22 per cent didn't eat any fruits or vegetables. Several factors have driven the shift away from traditional diets. 'Food choices are complex, influenced by family dynamics, with women majorly responsible for putting food on the table, socio-economic status, convenience, accessibility, affordability and the food options available in the market,' explains Purnima Menon, senior director, food and nutrition policy, IFPRI. Accessibility and affordability make junk food consumption an overwhelming concern across income strata. 'In fact,' as Dr Hemalatha R., well-known nutritionist and director of ICMR's National Institute of Nutrition, points out, 'it is a much bigger concern for poor families, who often lack access to the right knowledge and end up spending their limited resources on ultra-processed food instead of nutritious options.'advertisementTRICKING THE BRAINAnother reason that encourages overconsumption of junk food is its hyperpalatable nature, which manufacturers achieve by leveraging science. Does the vanilla ice cream you love contain natural vanilla? Not really. It's actually made with lab-engineered chemicals from flavour makers. 'The science of using flavour molecules—seen in packaged foods as 'added flavours'—has grown exponentially over the past few decades,' says Prof. Ganesh Bagler at IIIT (Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology), Delhi, a researcher in the field of computational gastronomy. 'These artificial flavours, far cheaper than natural products, trick the brain into thinking they are eating something nutritious, like a mango drink with real mangoes when in reality, it's just a soda with an artificial mango flavour.' Hence, junk food addiction isn't just about habit or preference—it involves complex biochemical reactions in the brain and body. High levels of sugar, fat and refined flour further enhance its addictive nature. These foods are addictive because excessive consumption alters the gut microbiome, affecting several hormonal pathways in the body, says Dr Piyush Ranjan, vice-chairperson of the Institute of Liver Gastroenterology at Delhi-based Sir Ganga Ram instance, an excessive presence of sugar or fructose increases blood sugar levels, leading to the release of dopamine, a pleasure neurotransmitter. When dopamine floods the brain's reward centre, it creates a sense of pleasure. Over time, this pleasurable sensation turns into a habit and, eventually, an addiction. That's why one needs more junk food to experience the same level of pleasure. This process is similar to how addictive substances like nicotine or drugs work, explains Dr junk food consumption interferes with hunger-regulating hormones. After a meal, hormones like ghrelin (which signals hunger) and leptin (which signals fullness) are produced in the stomach. Ultra-processed foods contain artificial additives, high fat and sugar, which can cause leptin resistance—making it harder for the body to recognise when it is full. Meanwhile, since ghrelin remains high, a person is likely to overeat, creating a vicious cycle that leads to obesity and other hormonal imbalances, he unfortunate truth, IFPRI's Menon adds, is that the food industry, and particularly its food marketers, have understood what public health research hasn't—how individuals make food choices. They exploit this knowledge to promote, market and sell unhealthy foods. Nothing exemplifies this better than instant noodles. When launched in India, they were positioned as a convenient, affordable evening snack for mothers to prepare quickly. The brand's messaging resonated with housewives seeking a balance between convenience and the desire to make something within minutes for their OF QUALITYAs a result, says health influencer Revant Himatsingka, who goes by the handle FoodPharmer on social media, Indians are not just eating more junk food, but they are eating the worst kind. In 2019, a study published in the University of Oxford's Obesity Reviews found that packaged foods and drinks available in India are the least healthy among the 12 countries analysed (including the US, Australia and China) with high levels of saturated fat, sugar and fact, the global nonprofit Access to Nutrition Initiative (ATNi) calls out major FMCG companies, including Nestl, PepsiCo and Unilever, for selling less healthy products in low- and middle-income countries, including India, compared to what they sell in high-income countries. Its report dived into 1,901 products from 20 companies that constituted 36 per cent of the total sales (FY21) of processed food and beverage in India. However, Inoshi Sharma, executive director, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), disputes these findings, arguing that 'the ATNi report is completely wrong as the companies are not violating our regulations. For instance, if Nestle is putting sugar in the baby food in India, it is as per our norms here.'While the ATNi report didn't name the products, Himatsingka identified some of them. For instance, he alleged, Nestl's KitKat sold in Australia contains at least 22 per cent cocoa, whereas in India, it has only 4.4 per cent. Similarly, he claimed that the classic salted variant of PepsiCo's Lay's potato chips is made with cheaper palm oil in India, which has high saturated fat, whereas in Europe and the US, it is made with sunflower oil. Nestl India spokesperson says they apply the same principles on nutrition, health and wellness everywhere. 'All our products are nutritionally balanced and adhere to the guidelines defined by the concerned authorities. The difference in formulation of products can be attributed to factors such as taste sensitivities, weather conditions and availability of raw materials.' The company claims that it has reduced added sugar in Cerelac by up to 30 per cent over the past five years and also introduced a variant of the baby food with no refined sugar. While Lay's India has stated that it is doing trials to reduce palm oil in its product, PepsiCo didn't comment for this story. Confectionery major Mars also declined to comment. 'As of now, according to FSSAI, there is no clear definition of HFSS foods; it is currently at the debate stage,' says Sharma. 'That's exactly why it becomes difficult to say the work FSSAI has done on HFSS foods.'THE PRICE FACTORWhy do companies have different products in each country? The reason is pure economics, says Arvind Singhal, founder chairman of management consultancy Technopak Advisors. He says companies have to ensure the product sells in a market and is accepted by the consumers at the price point offered. 'Price is a key factor when launching a product because anything that will price the product out of the belly of the market will mean that you will be restricting your ability to operate in the market,' says a former regional director with Hindustan Unilever Limited, who did not want to be named. Hence, product ingredients are always a combination of three factors: price, taste and quality, he explains, adding that the product should also enable the firm to earn the turnover it has envisaged from the product category. However, FMCG companies aren't necessarily making exorbitant profits. Established players typically have a gross margin of 50-60 per cent, meaning production costs account for around 40 per cent—a standard across the global industry. 'Usually, FMCG companies operate on thin margins, focusing on mass-market products, as they rely on volume, given that consumers are highly price-sensitive,' he what is the way forward? For one, the government can regulate the production of foods to ensure healthier options are available in the market. For example, salt and sugar are among the cheapest raw materials in India. 'In our country, salt comes from the sea and sugar from subsidy. The government needs to link incentives like subsidies and taxes to nutrition to move the market towards production of healthier products,' says Arpita Mukherjee, professor at manufacturers have no incentive to innovate on healthier variants, due to high tax. For instance, all carbonated beverages—whether traditional flavoured drinks or their low-sugar, fruit-based variants—are taxed at a standard 28 per cent GST plus a 12 per cent compensation cess, totalling 40 per cent. 'As a food regulator,' Sharma says, 'we establish regulations and standards for the production and manufacturing of safe and hygienic food.' Stressing that banning the sale or issuing advisories on food choices is not within the FSSAI's purview, she notes their Eat Right India campaign aims to improve public health through better food choices. MISLEADING LABELSAny real solution must also reckon with how food is marketed and sold. The World Health Organization recommends clear front-of-pack nutrition labelling (FOPNL) norms to ensure everyone understands the nutrition information and makes informed choices about their consumption. Ironically, India has been in the process of drafting the FOPNL norms since 2014. 'Several recommendations have been made, but they have been watered down by FSSAI due to pushback from the industry, leading to a stalemate,' says Dr Arun Gupta, convenor of National Advocacy in Public Interest (NAPi), a think-tank on nutrition. It was only in September 2022 that an FOPNL draft was introduced, proposing an Indian Nutrition Rating (INR) model or Health Star Rating—a front-of-pack labelling system that rates the overall nutritional profile of food from half a star to 5 activists, however, argue that this system favours the industry over consumers, as it does not warn about harmful ingredients like high salt or sugar. Over 14,000 public comments have been submitted on this draft. George Cheriyan, working president of the Consumers Protection Association, suggests that warning labels like those used in Chile, where excess calories, sugar and fat are displayed in large black octagons on food packages, are required for India, where literacy levels are low and language barriers abound. Thus, warning labels should be in the form of symbols or emojis—just like red and green dots for non-vegetarian and vegetarian food items, India, nutritional information along with an ingredients list is mandatory, but this is useless as consumers can't make sense of technical information, says Dr Gupta of NAPi. During the Supreme Court hearing, Justice J.B. Pardiwala highlighted the lack of transparency on nutritional information on food wrappers: 'You all have grandchildren? Let the order on petition come. You will know what Kurkure and Maggi are and how their wrappers should be. The packets have no information.'Studies have shown consumers spend as little as 10 seconds selecting food items; hence, the current labelling system doesn't protect public health interests, Gupta argues. Take the case of Bournvita, which was sold as a 'health drink' for decades despite its high sugar content. Many countries, especially in Latin America, such as Chile, Mexico and Brazil, have adopted FOPNL policies with much success.A study published in PLOS Medicine, which tracked the purchasing habits of 2,000 households, showed that 18 months after Chile implemented the Law of Food Labelling and Advertising in 2016—which included banning ads for unhealthy products between 6 am and 10 pm, bold warning labels on the front of the package and a ban on junk food in schools—consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks dropped nearly 25 per cent. In 2014, the country had raised the tax on sugary beverages to 18 per cent from 13 per cent. As a result, companies reformulated their products to bypass warning labels on packaging. Since then, Peru, Uruguay and Israel have adopted Chilean-style front-of-package labels. THE POWER OF MARKETINGConsumers face an increasing onslaught of advertising for junk food, positioning it as cool and aspirational. This is done through offering freebies, making emotional appeals, false health claims or endorsements by Bollywood actors, and sports stars market the products ('so finger lickin' good that you can't stop at one' or 'Betcha Can't Eat Just One'). Studies have shown how the 'pester power' of marketing influences choice, preference and purchase shares an instance from his visit to a school in Mumbai for the campaign 'Canteen Sudharega India'. A student came up to him and proudly told him that he had stopped drinking cola beverages but had instead moved to Sprite and Limca because 'woh clear hai'. He was actually linking Sprite's marketing tagline 'Clear Hai' with its nutrition quotient. Many such examples show miscommunication through advertising, he says. The 2024 NAPi report 'The Junk Push', which analysed 43 advertisements for pre-packaged foods, found that every product was ultra-processed. None of the advertisements provided information on nutrients of concern—sugar, salt and saturated fat. Of these, 25 were marketed using celebrities, 12 featured children and eight made health countries have started to reduce and restrict this kind of marketing. The UK, in December 2024, passed legislation banning junk food ads on television and online between 5.30 am and 9 pm, which will take effect in October 2025. There is no reason why India can't put warning labels like Mexico and Chile or ban junk food advertisements as the UK is doing. The government has been making concerted efforts to promote healthy foods and an active lifestyle by implementing initiatives such as Eat Right India and the Fit India Movement. However, the food regulator FSSAI needs to look at the issue holistically—from the consumption patterns of families to what is entering the market to how it is packaged, labelled, marketed and food is here to stay as consumers increasingly opt for convenience due to their busy schedules. But there is no reason why FSSAI cannot tighten norms to safeguard the health of the country's 1.5 billion to India Today Magazine
