Targeting Indian snacks without introducing front-of-package labels for HFSS products is a clear half measure
If the Health Ministry is indeed serious about promoting healthy dietary habits, why has it failed to introduce clear front-of-package labels to caution consumers of food products loaded with fat, sugar and/or salt? Why has the government done nothing to regulate adversiments and promotion of unhealthy food, and not levy additional taxes on HFSS products?
In a welcome move, the Health Ministry has directed all government departments to display oil, sugar and trans-fat content in everyday Indian snacks such as samosas, jalebis, vada pavs and laddoos in a bid to highlight the health risks of consuming these snacks on a regular basis. The campaign will be piloted in AIIMS Nagpur and then rolled out to other cities. The move comes two months after CBSE directed all affiliated schools to establish ‘sugar boards’ to monitor and reduce the sugar intake of children. These will list information on the recommended daily sugar intake, the sugar content in commonly consumed foods, health risks associated with high sugar consumption, and healthier dietary alternatives.
These initiatives have been driven by studies that provide evidence of increasing obesity trends in India. As per the NFHS data, obesity had increased from nearly 15% to 24% in men and from 12% to nearly 23% in women between 2005-2006 and 2019-2021. Since the amount of oil and sugar in Indian snacks is not apparent — and, hence, often overlooked — these initiatives will serve to fill the gap and also act as “visual behavioural nudges”, much like the pictorial warnings on tobacco products. However, building awareness alone cannot bring about behavioural changes, especially in the absence of essential legislative measures.
Going slow on front-of-package labels
Surprisingly, while the Health Ministry has targeted Indian snacks, nothing has been done over the years to introduce clear front-of-package labels to caution people about unhealthy packaged food items, and regulate advertising, marketing and promotion of unhealthy food to children. Also, levying additional taxes on food products with high levels of sugar, salt and fat (HFSS) can further reduce consumption, as seen in some countries.
As per the national multisectoral action plan for prevention and control of common noncommunicable disease (2017-2022), the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) (Packaging and Labelling) regulation was to be amended for inclusion of front-of-pack labelling and detailed nutrient labelling. The FSSAI (Packaging and Labelling) regulation was amended in 2020. In April 2025, the Supreme Court had given the FSSAI’s expert committee three months to submit its recommendations on the proposed move to introduce mandatory warning labels on the front of packaged food items. FSSAI failed to come up recommendations as required by the Supreme Court and instead required three more months to do so; on July 15, 2025, the Supreme Court directed the agency to execute this label on packaged food within the next three months. For front-of-pack labels on HFSS food and beverage products to become a reality, FSSAI has to first define the upper limits for sugar, salt and total fat, which have not been finalised and approved so far.
A 2022 study found that warning labels outperformed all other forms of front-of-pack labelling in enabling consumers to identifying unhealthy products. A study by ICMR-NIN found warning labels and nutri-star ratings helped deter consumption of even moderately unhealthy foods. Measures to build awareness without essential legislative measures to curb unhealthy food intake will be just symbolic.
(Featured image credit: Karthikeyan Anand)
Published in The Hindu on July 16, 2025
