Health ministry urged to stamp down on ads for unhealthy food

New Delhi: The health ministry has been urged to enforce strict restrictions on ads promoting high fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) products because of alarming links to India’s escalating non-communicable disease (NCD) epidemic such as obesity, diabetes and hypertension, particularly among children.

The Nutrition Advocacy in Public Interest (NAPI), backed by the Press Council of India, has written to the health ministry to push for stricter regulations in the wake of the Economic Survey 2024-25, which highlighted a dangerous surge in the consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and their direct correlation with India’s worsening public health.

Also read | India’s first public health university on the cards

The report noted that aggressive marketing of HFSS products—often masquerading as “healthy” or “nutritious”—has led to a shift in dietary habits, displacing traditional, balanced diets with calorie-dense, nutrient-poor food.

A public health emergency

NAPI, in a communications to the health ministry and PCI, pointed to data from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) showing that 56.4% of India’s total disease burden is now linked to unhealthy diets

“These foods are engineered to be addictive, and their relentless advertising—especially to children—is fuelling a health catastrophe,” said Dr. Arun Gupta, Convener of NAPI. “The current self-regulatory approach has failed. We need legally binding restrictions on HFSS advertising, similar to those on tobacco and alcohol.”

The case for stronger advertising norms

NAPI’s proposal, submitted to PCI in May 2024, seeks an amendment to the Norms of Journalistic Conduct 2022 to explicitly prohibit advertisements for HFSS and UPF products. 

The draft amendment suggests adding HFSS foods to the list of restricted categories, which already includes cigarettes, alcohol, and other intoxicants. The group argues that many of these ads deliberately conceal critical nutritional information, violating the Consumer Protection Act 2019, which defines misleading advertisements as those that “deliberately conceal important information.”

Read this | Banking on blood: Health ministry frames guidelines to curb paid donations, improve efficacy of transfusions

The Press Council of India, after initially saying that the issue fell outside its mandate since advertised products are Fssai-certified, later forwarded NAPI’s recommendations to the health ministry for further action. In a letter dated February 2025, PCI Secretary Shabha Gupta noted that while newspapers may not be at fault for carrying legally compliant ads, the health implications warrant policy intervention.

Global precedents and local resistance

Internationally, several countries have already taken steps to limit HFSS advertising. Chile, Mexico, and the UK have implemented strict front-of-pack warning labels and banned junk food ads targeting children. Brazil and France have also imposed taxes on ultra-processed products. NAPI has urged India to adopt similar measures, including:

Mandatory warning labels on HFSS products

A complete ban on celebrity endorsements and child-targeted ads for such foods and imposing higher taxation on UPFs to discourage consumption.

Read this | Need thorough virtual checkups of public health facilities, Centre tells states

However, the food industry has resisted such moves, arguing that restrictions would hurt businesses and limit consumer choice. “Self-regulation is a smokescreen,” said Dr. Gupta. “The industry’s profit motives conflict with public health goals. Only stringent government action can reverse this crisis.”

A tipping point for policy change?

With the Supreme Court also taking cognizance of misleading advertisements—particularly those affecting children and vulnerable groups—the pressure on regulators is mounting. The Economic Survey 2024-25 explicitly called for “stricter front-of-pack labelling rules” and warned that without urgent action, India’s demographic dividend could be undermined by a sick, unproductive population.

And read | NHA pitches for integrating U-WIN platform with Unified Health Interface for immunization

As the health ministry reviews NAPI’s proposal, public health advocates are hopeful that India will finally join the global movement against junk food advertising. “This isn’t just about regulating ads—it’s about saving lives,” said Dr. Gupta. “Every day of delay means more children developing diabetes, more adults suffering heart attacks. The time to act is now.”

Queries sent to the health ministry remained unanswered.