New Delhi, November 19 (IANS). The sale of ultra-processed food is increasing very rapidly in India. Due to this, there is a change in the eating habits of the people, due to which the cases of obesity and diabetes are also increasing. Due to this, people’s health is continuously deteriorating. This information has been given in three research papers published in The Lancet on Wednesday.
UPF are foods that contain high amounts of fat, sugar and salt. Many types of artificial and harmful ingredients like stabilizers, emulsifiers, colors, flavors are also added to them. Such foods increase the risks of obesity, type-2 diabetes, heart diseases, depression and premature death.
The research papers, written by 43 international experts, show that UPF retail sales in India grew from $0.9 billion in 2006 to nearly $38 billion in 2019. That means its sales have increased almost 40 times in these 13 years.
Retail store shelves are now filled with pre-packaged foods and beverages, such as snacks, noodles, biscuits, sweetened beverages, chips and breakfast cereals. Their propagation through advertisements is influencing children and youth on a large scale.
The study revealed that due to this in India, the percentage of obesity in men has increased from 12 percent to 23 percent, while in women it has increased from 15 percent to 24 percent.
This series discusses the aggressive marketing and advertising campaigns undertaken by UPF companies to increase consumption.
Dr. Arun Gupta, a pediatrician and co-author of the papers in this series, said, “Our regulations are not effective in preventing marketing. India should take immediate action to reduce UPF consumption and aim to prevent obesity and diabetes in the coming years. Since UPF sales are the fastest growing in India and are causing negative health impacts, India should consider UPF as an important health issue.”
The authors urge immediate effective public health action to combat UPF and improve eating habits of people worldwide.
The authors said coordinated policies are needed to reduce the production, marketing, and consumption of UPF rather than relying solely on consumer behavior. Additionally, he also sought to improve everyone’s access to healthy food.
Chancellor of PHFI University of Public Health Sciences, Prof. Srinath Reddy said, “India needs to adopt strict regulations on production, marketing of UPF and disclosure of their ingredients. Warning labels on the front of the pack should clearly inform consumers about the harmful levels of salt, sugar and fat.”
He further said, “Advertisements portraying UPF as an addiction can lead to the spread of many diseases. Hence, it is very important to put a stop to their advertising and sponsorship, especially considering the widespread influence of celebrity endorsements.”
–IANS
SHK/AS