Up front: Processed food caution

NEW DELHI: Arguing that self-regulation has been ineffective, the Economic Survey 2024-25 has called for stringent front-of-the-pack labelling rules for the $37.9 billion ultra-processed food (UPF) industry in India.
Labels on the front of food packages will serve as a quick reference to nutritional information.
Many countries, including France, Canada, the UK, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Israel, Peru, and Uruguay, are already implementing the Nutrient Profile Model for labelling, says the Survey. Awareness of ingredients of packaged food, ill effects of UPF, and healthy food choices should be a part of school curriculum, it says.
UPFs include food items such as soft drinks, energy drinks, fried chicken and packaged cookies that have undergone extensive industrial processing. They also contain a high number of additives. Though regular consumption of UPFs is clearly linked to health hazards, including obesity, chronic inflammatory disorders, cardiovascular diseases, and mental disorders, the Economic Survey points out how the industry often advertises and markets it as a ‘healthy product’.
For example, the report says, breakfast cereals, tetra pack juices and chocolate malt drinks that come under UPF category based on their ingredients are often advertised as healthy. It calls for restrictions on marketing and higher taxes for such products.
According to a 2023 WHO report, India’s consumption of ultra-processed foods shot up from about $900 million in 2006 to over $37.9 billion in 2019. That is an annual compounded growth rate of over 33%.