70% Indians favour 'warning sign' on packaged food, 8% say no sign needed: survey

India has witnessed a significant rise in junk-food — especially, packaged and processed food over the last two decades — leading to an adverse effect on public health as most of these foods contain high amounts of sugar or salt and bad fat ingredients that results in increased obesity as well as conditions like diabetes and heart disease.

LocalCircles, after taking cognizance of such issues and conducting a survey with over 11,000 respondents in 382 districts of India, found out that seven out of 10 Indians are in favour of a “red warning sign” on packaged food containing high fat, sugar, and salt.

LocalCircles, in its report, also stated, “nearly 5.8 million people in India die from NCDs every year out of total deaths of about nine million.” Interestingly, according to the World Obesity Federation's prediction more than 27 million children in India may suffer from obesity by 2030.

The report further added that “supermarkets in India, as well as e-commerce platforms, are selling hundreds of varieties of packaged food products. A pack of fruit juice, per se, typically has up to 37 teaspoons of more sugar in a litre than even carbonated drinks, according to a study.”

Interestingly, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has already proposed a plan to introduce Health Star Rating (HSR) for packaged food products, which would rate foods on a five-star scale based on factors such as energy, saturated fat, sodium, total sugar, and healthier aspects such as protein and natural ingredients.

The survey also makes it clear that only one in two Indians surveyed support a star rating system proposed by FSSAI, while eight per cent claimed that “none of the above is needed, packaged food products must continue to be sold without any warnings or signs.” On the other hand, 39 per cent of respondents have also said that “there should be a green or orange sign on healthy products” in addition to the red sign.

Despite the criticism from consumer activist groups and food experts, FSSAI has decided to go ahead with a new star rating system for packaged foods and beverages. Consumer activist groups are concerned that such a system can be easily manipulated by the industry, compromising public health and have also written a warning letter to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Among the respondents of this survey, 61 per cent were men while 39 per cent were women. Around 41 per cent of respondents were from tier one districts, 33 per cent were from tier two districts and 26 per cent were from tier three, four and rural districts.

As per the survey, one of the solutions to address this fast-growing problem is to introduce regulations to help consumers make informed choices as people should be able to distinguish between packaged and processed foods and the one that contains a high amount of salt, sugar, and fat content.