On September 10, a United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) study highlighted that the world has more obese children and adolescents (15-19 age group) than malnourished ones, primarily because of the availability of cheap and energy-dense ultra-processed food. The study found that the obesity among children has more than doubled since 2000 in parts of the world, including South Asia. One in five children and adolescents is obese, as per data from over 190 countries.
UNICEF executive director Catherine Russell called
On September 10, a United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) study highlighted that the world has more obese children and adolescents (15-19 age group) than malnourished ones, primarily because of the availability of cheap and energy-dense ultra-processed food. The study found that the obesity among children has more than doubled since 2000 in parts of the world, including South Asia. One in five children and adolescents is obese, as per data from over 190 countries.
UNICEF executive director Catherine Russell called obesity a growing concern that can impact the health and development of children. He noted that ultra-processed foods are increasingly replacing fruits, vegetables, and protein, which is particularly concerning given the critical role nutrition plays in growth, cognitive development, and mental health.
Children are considered overweight when they are significantly heavier than what is healthy for their age, sex, and height. Obesity is a severe form of overweight and leads to a higher risk of developing insulin resistance, high blood pressure, and life-threatening diseases later in life, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancers.
Multiple studies have warned against ultra-processed and fast foods high in sugar, refined starch, salt, unhealthy fats, and additives in children’s diets, as well as unhealthy food environments. These products are easily available in shops and schools. Digital marketing gives the food and beverage industry access to young audiences. Studies have shown that young people buy unhealthy food products after seeing advertisements.
In India, the National Family Health Survey and the National Nutrition Monitoring Bureau data showed that obesity among children increased to 3.4% in 2022 from 2.6% in 2015 and 1.6% in 2012. Around 18.5% of children were overweight and 8.4% obese in major urban centres. It is higher than the numbers projected for India in the World Obesity Atlas. Boys are at a higher risk of obesity than girls in India.
Obesity is no longer a problem of the rich. It is now impacting middle- and low-income populations. Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month appealed for cutting the consumption of oil and sugar, even as ultra-processed foods remain easily available.
India’s obesity numbers are less than the global average. Experts believe the country will have the highest population of overweight or obese children in the world by 2030 unless there is a strong policy intervention to restrict the sale of unhealthy food to children.
There is much talk but little action. Declaring health implications on food packets for the consumers to make an informed choice can be one of the ways of addressing the issue. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has been working on front-of-the-packaging labelling (FOPL) since 2018. It has not reached a consensus on whether it should be a warning or a star label, as on electric alliances, with information about energy consumption.
The warning system is more consumer-friendly, informing whether the product is healthy or not. The FSSAI seems unwilling to antagonise the powerful food lobby by accepting the warning system despite ample scientific evidence that it allows the consumer to make a more informed decision as compared to star labels.
The FSSAI faces a Supreme Court deadline to frame FOPL until mid-October, after getting two extensions in July and April this year. It is again holding consultations to finalise a policy, something it has been doing for the past decade.
Civil society groups are seeking a warning system. The food industry is willing to accept only a weak star-rated one. Both have their strong arguments. But science tells us that the food can either be healthy or unhealthy. It cannot be in between.
Chile, Mexico, and Canada introduced warning labels on food packets, prohibitory taxes on sugary and fatty food products, and a ban on the sale of ultra-processed food in schools. The move resulted in a decline in the sale of unhealthy food products and checked the alarming rise in obesity in Chile, where about 64% of the population is considered overweight or obese.
In India, the aerated drinks fall under the highest (sin) tax category of 28% as per the last revision in Goods and Services Tax (GST) slabs. Most of the ultra-processed, unhealthy food does not fall in this category and is in the lower tax slab of 5% or 12%. The GST on many of these ultra-processed food products, like cornflakes and ready-to-eat noodles, has been reduced from 12% to 5%.
Consumers have a right to decide on what they want to consume based on informed choices. The best way to inform is through a warning on the packets with information on how much sugar, salt, or any other ingredient is unhealthy for the human body. Not having a front-of-package label is a violation of consumers’ right to make an informed choice or right to know, which the Supreme Court had said was protected under the Constitution.
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