Ultra-processed food ads misleading; fuelling obesity & diabetes in India: Report

New Delhi: Advertisements of unhealthy food products with high salt (HFSS) food products, or ultra-processed food (UPF) are misleading and are “seductive, luring, manipulative or deceptive” people to buy and in turn increasing the incidences of obesity and diabetes, according to a new report on Friday.

The report ’50 Shades of Food Advertising’, by the Nutrition Advocacy in Public Interest (NAPi), is based on an observational study of the appeal in 50 advertisements of food products that have appeared in popular English and Hindi newspapers available in Delhi and also took note of some of the ads that appeared in TV commercials during cricket games or few on social media.

It calls upon the government to amend existing regulations to end these misleading ads.

The report comes as India is facing persistent undernutrition among children under five, and a rising trend of obesity and diabetes among grown-ups.

The recent ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition (NIN)’s dietary guidelines for Indians reveals that more than 10 per cent of 5-19- year-olds are pre-diabetic. This is when the government has set a target to halt the rise of obesity and diabetes among Indians by 2025.

The report provides evidence that food and drink products under the category of unhealthy/HFSS or UPFs “are being advertised by using different appeals such as evoking emotional feelings, manipulating the use of experts, appropriating benefits of real fruits, using celebrities to add value to the brand, projecting as healthy, etc”.

It noted that these advertisements mislead on many counts; and also provide information on the gaps in the existing legislations, such as the FSS Act of 2006, the Cable TV Networks Regulation Act, 1994 and Rules, the Consumer Protection Act of 2019, and the Norms of Journalistic Conduct 2022.

Arun Gupta, a pediatrician and NAPi convenor, called on the government to implement measures for “each advertisement to disclose in bold letters the amount of nutrient of concern per 100 gram/ml”.

It would be in the best interest of the people’s health that a public health ‘Bill’ is proposed in the Parliament to halt obesity. If we fail to halt the rising trend, it will only increase the disease and economic burden, year by year on the individual family and the health system as a whole,” he added.

NAPi also recommends stopping any food advertisements if the food product is HFSS and UPF.

The report also provides an objective method of identifying what is misleading food advertising to help authorities like the FSSAI make a quick decision to stop it, said Nupur Bidla, a member of NAPi and a social scientist, adding that the delay in banning the ads helps “companies to enjoy the ‘freedom’ to advertise and make money while public health may suffer”.

IANS

 

J&K mysterious deaths: All pesticide, insecticide shops sealed in Rajouri district

Jammu: All pesticide and insecticide shops have been sealed by authorities in Jammu and Kashmir’s (J&K) Rajouri district as part of preventive measures taken after 17 ‘mysterious deaths’ took place...

Jharkhand govt on alert after GBS case in Ranchi, CM holds high-level meeting

Ranchi: The Jharkhand government is on high alert after a five-year-old girl in Ranchi was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS). Chief Minister Hemant Soren held a high-level meeting on Friday...

Mysterious deaths: J&K’s Rajouri village declared containment zone

Jammu: Unable to reach a conclusive finding as to what caused 17 mysterious deaths in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district, authorities on Wednesday declared the Budhaal village as a containment...

33 cranes die of bird flu in Rajasthan

Jaipur: A total of 33 cranes have succumbed to bird flu in Rajasthan till January 20 evening, confirmed officials here on Tuesday. On January 17, around 14 cranes died from...

16th victim dies as police begin probe into ‘illness’ deaths in J&K’s Rajouri

Jammu: The toll in the ‘mysterious’ deaths in J&K’s Rajouri district rose to 16 as an elderly woman of Budhaal village died on Friday. Officials said that the death toll...

Rahul Gandhi visits Delhi AIIMS, says patients forced to sleep on roads, footpaths

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi met with the patients and their attendants awaiting treatment at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi. He accused the Centre and...

‘Expired’ saline controversy: Newborn dies in Bengal hospital

Kolkata: A newborn baby of one of the five women, who fell sick last week at a state-run Midnipore Medical College and Hospital (MMCH) after being allegedly administered with expired...

14,700 confirmed mpox cases reported in 2024 in Africa: WHO

Kampala: About 14,700 confirmed mpox cases, including 66 deaths, were reported in 20 African countries from January 2024 to January 5, 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.   The...

First human bird flu death in US reported

Los Angeles: A patient in the US state of Louisiana has become the first person dead of bird flu, or H5N1, in the United States, authorities said. The Louisiana Department...

HMPV: Centre urges States to review surveillance on respiratory illnesses

New Delhi: Amid the rise in Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) cases in India, the Centre on Tuesday asked the States to review surveillance on respiratory illnesses in the country. The country...

HMPV: 1 more case reported from Gujarat; no need to panic, says govt

New Delhi: One more case of the Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) has been detected in Gujarat on Monday, taking the tally to three cases in the country. A two-year-old child was...

HMPV not new virus, majority Indian population immune to it: Experts

New Delhi: The Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) is not a new virus and most of the Indian population are immune to it, said health experts on Monday, even as the number...

Read Previous

SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn to soon drive crew to 1st-ever ‘all-civilian’ spacewalk

Read Next

Govt makes ISI mark mandatory for steel & aluminium utensils to ensure safety in kitchens

WP2Social Auto Publish Powered By : XYZScripts.com