End the free rein of junk food advertising in India

📌 Summary:

• Context: Despite government plans to amend advertising laws to curb the promotion of HFSS (high in fat, sugar and sodium) foods, such products continue to be advertised rampantly across YouTube, Instagram and newspapers
• Core argument: As evidence of the health harms of ultra-processed foods (UPF) grows, restricting their advertising — especially exposure to children and young people — may no longer be avoidable
• Causal chain / mechanism of harm: UPFs are industrially processed and engineered to be highly palatable and potentially addictive; misleading advertising emphasises selective attributes (e.g., "baked", flavour, "crunchiness") while omitting material health information
• Example cited: a baked-chips advertisement highlighted cheese/tomato flavour and crunch but did not disclose that the product is a UPF containing maltodextrin, nature-identical flavourings, salt substitute (potassium chloride/KCl), acidity regulators (627, 631) and emulsifier (322), nor its high salt, fat and refined-carbohydrate content
• Effect: such marketing creates a misleading impression of healthfulness while obscuring nutritional risks
• Solution direction: amend advertising laws to restrict HFSS/UPF promotion, mandate disclosure of material health information, and especially protect children and young people from exposure

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS2 Governance / Social Justice — public health regulation, consumer protection, advertising standards, and the rising non-communicable disease (NCD) burden.

🔑 Key Term: Ultra-Processed Food (UPF) — industrially formulated products made largely from substances extracted from foods plus additives (flavourings, emulsifiers, etc.), typically high in fat, sugar and salt and low in nutritional value.