NAPi fights for laws to stop misleading ads for ultra-processed foods

2 minutes of reading Last updated: July 5, 2024 | 21:57 IST

To curb the promotion and consumption of highly processed foods, healthcare organisation NAPi has appealed to the government to adopt the definitions from the latest ICMR-NIN guidelines.

Nutrition Advocacy in the Public Interest (NAPi) in its latest report titled “50 Shades of Food Advertising” found that advertisers often use emotional values and celebrity names to lure consumers without disclosing the true nutritional content of the products.

“The laws on misleading advertising do not objectively define what it means in relation to a food product. They leave it to the commission to interpret, and they put consumers and public health experts in a difficult position,” said Arun Gupta, a pediatrician and chairman of NAPi.

The Human Rights Defenders Forum has presented a number of recommendations to the government aimed at limiting the promotion and consumption of highly processed foods.

These recommendations include changes in the regulatory framework across ministries to curb misleading advertisements for high fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) products; development or adoption of an objective definition of HFSS in line with ICMR-NIN guidelines, which will ensure harmony with all food and beverage advertising regulations.

Other NAPi recommendations include provisions for the disclosure of nutrients of concern in food and beverage advertisements in the FSSAI regulations and the launch of a public health campaign to inform people about the dangers of foods high in fat, salt or sugar (HFSS).

First published: July 5, 2024 | 20:25 IST