It is rare for a country’s politicians to advise the public regarding their dietary habits. However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi frequently addresses the nation to provide counsel on disease prevention and healthy eating. His advice exerts a positive influence on the public psyche, and people endeavour to follow it to the best of their ability.
Shortly after assuming office in 2014, the PM urged the public to prioritise cleanliness—an appeal that yielded highly positive results. Some time ago, Modi advised people to reduce their consumption of cooking oil by at least 10 per cent, owing to the country’s growing problem of obesity.
On 29 March, while addressing the nation on his popular radio program ‘Mann Ki Baat,’ he asked people to cut down on sugar in their diets. Notably, excessive sugar consumption in our country is contributing to the rise of diabetes and various other diseases.
India has become a global hotspot for diabetes, with estimates suggesting more than 100 million people have the condition and another 136 million are pre-diabetic, largely driven by dietary changes and rising obesity.
Experts both within our country and globally have been consistently offering similar advice. Several years ago, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a warning that sugary drinks are a major source of “free sugars” in diets worldwide. They contribute to obesity, Type 2 diabetes and tooth decay. WHO states that a single can of soda can contain 40 grams (that is, nearly 10 teaspoons) of sugar, which is already near or above safe limits.
WHO advises people to exercise caution regarding packaged beverages, as they often contain sugar levels far exceeding the healthy level. We are well aware that a wide variety of packaged food products are currently being sold in the market, many of which contain excessive amounts of sugar, fat, and salt. Typically, companies deliberately use excessive quantities of sugar, saturated fats and salt in these products to create an addictive appeal, thereby ensuring that consumers become hooked and purchase these items repeatedly.
For instance, excessive sugar is found in cola drinks and other soft drinks produced by major corporations, and even in packaged products marketed under the guise of “fruit juices”, which normally contain more sugar than real juice. Similarly, various other packaged foods contain fat levels that are far higher than the healthy level.
Furthermore, salt is also deliberately used in excess to foster addiction among consumers—particularly among impressionable children. Therefore, it is incumbent upon all agencies—which bear the responsibility of protecting consumers from substances harmful to health in food products—to formulate effective regulations to safeguard consumers against such substances.
In India, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is the agency entrusted with the responsibility of maintaining and ensuring food safety and standards. Surprisingly, this agency has so far failed to resolve these issues, and unhealthy food continues to be sold in the market without any checks.