Health Ministry Major Move: Warning labels on food items with high sugar and oil content

According to a recently released internal report, by the year 2050, 44.9 crore people in India may suffer from obesity or overweight.

New Delhi: The Health Ministry has recently given an important instruction to central institutions across the country. Under this, now a warning slip will be put on every food item, which will give information about the sugar and oil present in that food item, reports Dynamite News correspondent.

Its main objective is to make people aware of healthy eating. So that they consume any junk food knowingly and eat it after understanding its freshness, sugar and fat.

Reason For This Decision

This step has been taken to stop the growing problem of obesity in India. According to a recently released internal report, by the year 2050, 44.9 crore people in India may suffer from obesity or overweight, which will make India the second largest country after America which is struggling with the problem of obesity.

Currently, one in every five people in India is a victim of overweight, which has become a serious threat in terms of health.

Warning Labels On Food Items

These warning slips will be put up especially in Government institutions, such as office cafeterias, Government offices, and other institutions, so that people can easily know to what extent what they are eating can affect their health. This step has been taken to avoid the inadvertent effect of the choice of hidden fat and sugar in food.

Obesity In India

According to the WHO report of 2024, more than 60% of people in India are affected by obesity or overweight. Apart from this, cases of diabetes are also increasing, and by 2030 its figures can reach 10 crores. In such a situation, the Ministry of Health and FSSAI (Food and Safety Standards Authority of India) have formulated a new policy, which makes it mandatory to put warning labels on food items.

Samosa, Jalebi, Laddu Dangerous As Cigarettes?

AIIMS Nagpur officials say that sugar and trans fat are proving to be as dangerous as cigarettes and tobacco. Dr Amar Amle, who is the Chief of the Nagpur branch of the Cardiological Society of India, said that due to sugar and oil (trans fat), these food items can be extremely dangerous for health. He believes that now the food items that are most harmful will be given equally dangerous warning slips, so that people can be aware of the dangers of these food items.

This new initiative includes not only samosas, jalebis and laddoos, but also vada pav, pakodas and other fast foods, which have high sugar and oil content. Through this, the Government wants to make people aware, so that people are conscious about their eating habits and take the right decisions to improve their health.