Despite the Government of India’s 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. As evidence of the health harms associated with industrially processed foods engineered to be highly palatable and potentially addictive continues to grow, restricting their advertising—particularly exposure to children and young people—may no longer be avoidable.
Try opening a YouTube video on politics, scrolling through Instagram reels, or scanning a newspaper, and you are likely to encounter advertisements for noodles, chips, biscuits, breakfast cereals, chocolates, sweetened beverages, or other ultra-processed food (UPF) products. Recently, there was a YouTube advertisement for a newly launched baked chips brand in India. The advertisement emphasised the product’s cheese and tomato flavours and the “crunchiness” to appeal to consumers. What it did not disclose was that the product is a UPF with ingredients such as maltodextrin, nature-identical flavourings, flavouring substances, salt substitute (KCl/potassium chloride), acidity regulators (627, 631), and emulsifier (322). While prominently promoting selective attributes such as “baked”, the advertisement omitted material health information, including the product’s high salt and fat content and the presence of refined carbohydrates. Such marketing practices can create a misleading impression of healthfulness while obscuring the nutritional risks associated with these products.
While readers can recall their own experiences, there are a few other examples in the media. A female film celebrity is seen recommending a multigrain, “no maida choco cereal” for her son, despite it being a high-sugar product. An entire family of actors promotes a “12-grain” breakfast cereal, while a popular film actor endorses a biscuit as a “good choice”. Most of these products, however, are high in sugar, fat and/or salt, raising questions about the messages conveyed through such endorsements. Such selective disclosures create a false perception of healthfulness and deprive consumers, particularly children and adolescents, of the right to make an informed choice.
Advertising is directly linked to increased consumption of UPFs, which is strongly associated with rising rates of obesity and diabetes. These advertisements often feature child actors and use emotionally appealing messages aimed at both children and parents, creating a desire for such products. The fact that, in 2024, three major transnational corporations spent $13.2 billion on advertising underscores the volume and power of food product advertisements. Advertising does not merely reflect demand; it helps create it. In India alone, more than two lakh junk food advertisements in a month were backed by advertising expenditure of about ₹170 crore.
Evidence suggests that UPFs can encourage overconsumption through mechanisms that resemble those identified in addiction science. The health harms associated with UPFs appear closely linked to their industrial design and marketing strategies. But the food industry fails to disclose this fact to people. Recently, the City of San Francisco filed a lawsuit against 10 major UPF manufacturers, alleging child-targeted marketing, the development of highly compelling product formulations, and inadequate disclosure of health risks such as obesity and diabetes. Among other remedies, the lawsuit sought to prevent further deceptive marketing practices and pushed for corrective measures to address the effects of past false advertising.
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