Advertising laws for junk food

Notes

• HFSS (High in Fat, Sugar, and Sodium) foods are increasingly linked to non-communicable diseases like obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease.
• Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are engineered for high palatability and potential addictiveness, often using additives like maltodextrin, emulsifiers, and acidity regulators.
• Marketing of UPFs often uses celebrity endorsements and child-targeted content to create demand and build lifelong consumption patterns.
• In India, over two lakh junk food advertisements were recorded in a single month, with an advertising expenditure of approximately ₹170 crore.
• Global data indicates that three major transnational corporations spent $13.2 billion on food advertising in 2024.
• The National Multisectoral Action Plan (NMAP) 2017-2022 aimed to restrict advertising of HFSS foods, but implementation remains pending.
• The Supreme Court of India has observed that front-of-pack labelling is essential to protect the right to health.
• The Lancet Series (November 2025) provides scientific evidence linking UPF consumption to poor diet quality and displacement of traditional, minimally processed foods.
• International models, such as those in Chile and Mexico, suggest that enforceable legal measures are more effective than voluntary self-regulation in curbing unhealthy food marketing.
• The Economic Survey 2025-26 has highlighted the need for stronger regulation of UPF advertising and marketing.