NEW DELHI: Some of India’s leading health professionals have signed a public statement calling for government action to curb the marketing of junk food.
The experts called for the immediate implementation of recommendations in the Economic Survey 2025-26, including the "watershed" suggestion of banning advertising of foods high in fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) and ultra-processed foods (UPFs) between 6am and 11pm across all media platforms, as well as introducing warning labels on the front of packaged food products.
The statement comes as the Supreme Court is due to hear a public interest litigation (PIL) on warning labels.
The experts also called on the Centre to clearly define HFSS and ultra-processed foods; prohibit celebrity endorsements, cartoon characters and child-directed promotions; ban influencer marketing, promotional incentives and price-based inducements such as 'buy one get one free'; and end sponsorship of sports and school activities by unhealthy food brands.
The signatories include renowned physician and scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan; founder of the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), Dr K Srinath Reddy; paediatrician Dr Narender Arora; chairman of Dr Mohan's Diabetes Specialities Centre, Dr V Mohan; former AIIMS director Dr Randeep Guleria; endocrinologists Dr Anoop Misra and Dr Ambrish Mithal; cardiologist Dr Gurpreet S Wander; diabetologist Dr Shashank Joshi; public health policy expert Dr Chandrakant Lahariya; cardiologist Dr TS Kler; and Dr Arun Gupta, convener of Nutrition Advocacy in Public Interest (NAPi).
The experts also raised the issue with Union Health Minister JP Nadda and Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and shared the joint statement with them.
Expressing concern over India's rising burden of diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs), the experts cited the National Family Health Survey-6 (NFHS-6), which shows that nearly one in three women and more than one in four men aged 15-49 are now overweight or obese.
The statement said aggressive and misleading advertising of junk food, often using celebrity endorsements and sports sponsorships, was a key driver of the public health crisis, particularly among young people.
"We are concerned that these junk foods are increasingly promoted through persuasive and misleading advertising strategies that encourage overconsumption," the statement said.
The experts pointed to a growing body of scientific evidence, including findings published in The Lancet and The BMJ, linking UPF consumption to obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
"We believe that the proposed measures are consistent with globally accepted public health approaches," the signatories said, urging the government to "take the lead in decisive public health action."
The statement comes as India faces a rapid rise in NCDs, with national health data showing a tripling of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases in seven years.
The signatories also emphasised the need to protect children from harmful food marketing, describing it as a public health, child-rights and preventive healthcare priority.
The letter to the Union ministers, written on behalf of the signatories by Dr Gupta, urged the government of India “to act with resolve. Protecting children from the harmful impact of junk food marketing is a fundamental public health, child-rights, and preventive healthcare priority. We are confident that decisive action on these recommendations will set a powerful precedent for the health and well-being of our nation.”
