More than labels: health choices

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For many years now, activists in India have been fighting an uphill battle: getting healthy foods on the plates of people, both adults and children. What are they up against? A steady stream of ultraprocessed food, food that is high in fat, sugar and sodium, labels that either do not warn consumers or do so in text that is not displayed prominently, misleading claims about the ‘health’ benefits of certain food, unfettered advertisements, and worst of all, food sold in India that is unhealthier compared to the same items sold abroad.

What is at stake? The metabolic health of millions of Indians. We know that bad diets can contribute to obesity, which in turn can contribute to hypertension, diabetes and a host of other issues. This week, we look at developments in the diet and health sector, spurred by the Supreme Court’s criticism of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the country’s food regulator, and what has followed.

The FSSAI, long lambasted for allowing big food brands to get away with misleading advertisements, and for taking no action on warning labels on unhealthy foods, has now submitted a proposal in the Supreme Court for a front-of-pack pictorial warning label for food products high in any two or more “nutrients of concern”, reports Krishnadas Rajagopal . And while this a definite step forward, Bindu Shajan Perappadan interviews an activist who points out that the ‘two or more’ condition still leaves critical gaps in the framework .

In recent weeks, the FSSAI has also begun a crackdown on claims: it has issued more than 150 notices to food companies over misleading advertisements, false claims and labelling violations. Nestlé India, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola India, Abbott India, Red Bull India, Danone India, Monster Energy India, Ferrero India and Kenvue are among companies named by the regulator. Bournvita maker Mondelez India Foods has now withdrawn health and nutrient-comparison claims, along with related advertisements from e-commerce platforms.

Is Big Food taking this lying down? Not if you go by this Reuters report. Not only are they fighting against warning labels, they are selling products in India that are far more unhealthy than products sold elsewhere. Rishita Khanna discusses this in a podcast . Do give it a listen.

And finally, dive into Dr. C. Aravinda and Dr. T.B. Pritish Basakaran’s story on FSSAI looking into liquor labels as well.

Cancer is never quite out of the news is it? There’s good news and news that requires some reflection this week. In the good news, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a groundbreaking new drug for advanced pancreatic cancer. The daily pills will be sold by Revolution Medicines under the brand name Rasonque. Also, following on last week’s news of an mRNA tumour vaccine that showed promising results in a melanoma trial, Dr. Harish P. delves into how tumour vaccines work , and if they could herald a revolution in cancer treatment.

In other news, R.