Indian Food safety panel calls for ban on fast-food advertising on children’s channels
10 May 2017
Concerned over the increasing burden of lifestyle conditions like diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and hypertension, an expert committee set up by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has recommended several measures, including banning junk food ads on children's channels and kids' programmes, additional tax and clear labelling of contents and ingredients.
The report, Csumptionon of fat, sugar and salt (FSS) & its health effects on Indian population prepared by an 11-member expert committee also suggests ways to cut consumption of unhealthy food products.
The committee had been constituted by the FSSAI to address the issue of high fat, sugar and salt (FSS) content in food and associated health risks.
The committee called for a ban on advertisements on foods having high FSS content on children's channels or shows, as in countries like Chile. Celebrity endorsements of such foods needed to be discouraged, and the online and social media needed sensitisation for compliance with the advertising ban, according to the committee.
The committee also called for imposition of additional tax on sugar-sweetened beverages and ultra-processed food (ready-to-eat and ready-to-heat-and-eat foods) to cut back on the intake of pre-packaged foods and beverages.
Junk food consumption has long been thought to lead to various health problems such as obesity and diabetes. In recent times, thanks to the alarming increase in lifestyle diseases, governments across the world have been taking measures to curb the menace.
The UK has introduced a fat tax, which was aimed at increasing the prices of junk food, to encourage consumers to turn to nutritious meals.
Meanwhile, in India, Maharashtra recently announced a ban on junk food in school canteens to curb childhood obesity and promote healthy eating. The state's move seeks to discourage children from adopting junk food habits of adults, to avoid various food and lifestyle-related ailments later in life.