India's Cheap Packaged Food Habit Sparks Health Warning Label Debate
India's reliance on cheap packaged food has sparked a nationwide debate over health warning labels. The country's proposal to put red warning labels on high-sugar, high-salt, or high-fat foods has been met with opposition from industry leaders.
Nestle-owned Maggi instant noodles and Coca-Cola Co's Thums Up are among the popular packaged food products in India. The two-minute masala noodles are made with palm oil, whereas many versions sold in Britain use sunflower oil. Similarly, Nestle's KitKat bars in India have less cocoa than Australian versions.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) could introduce tougher health warning labels on food products that exceed government-set limits on added sugar, salt or saturated fat. This move comes after Supreme Court judges raised questions about FSSAI's initial plan for a phased introduction.
India has the world's highest number of diabetes cases, with over 101 million people living with the disease and another 136 million having prediabetes. The high sugar content in packaged foods is partly blamed for this surge in diabetes cases.