Top doctors call for junk food advertising ban, seek curbs on celebrity endorsements and sports sponsorships
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Top doctors call for junk food advertising ban, seek curbs on celebrity endorsements and sports sponsorships
Doctors and public-health experts urge Centre to curb junk-food advertising, warning of rising obesity and diabetes
A group of leading doctors, medical scientists and public health experts has called on the Centre to impose restrictions on the advertising and marketing of junk food, warning that aggressive promotion of ultra-processed foods with high-fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) content is contributing to India’s growing burden of obesity, diabetes and other non-communicable diseases
In a letter to union Health Minister J. P Nada, on August 10, the experts, brought together by Nutrition Advocacy in Public Interest-India (NAPi), have urged the government to restrict advertising of HFSS and ultra-processed food products between 6 am and 11 pm, across television, print, digital, streaming and social media platforms. A similar letter to Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister, as well
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They have also called for mandatory front-of-pack warning labels identifying products as high in sugar, salt or fat, along with legislation to prohibit a range of marketing practices aimed at children and families
The intervention comes amid what the experts describe as a rapid deterioration in India’s diet and a growing burden of diet-related disease. The statement cites National Family Health Survey-6 data showing that 30.7% of women and 27.3% of men aged 15-49 are overweight or obese, while also flagging increasing obesity among children and adolescents
In a recent development, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) filed an affidavit with the Supreme Court, proposing nutritional information on the front of packaged foods instead of the warning labels health experts have been advocating for
- The doctors have also called for comprehensive legislation.
- Defining ultra-processed foods and high-sugar, salt and saturated foods.
- Prohibit the use of celebrity endorsements, cartoon characters and child-directed promotions.
- Ban influencer marketing promoting incentives.
A growing public-health concern
The experts cite growing scientific evidence linking higher consumption of ultra-processed foods with obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorders and other non-communicable diseases
Their intervention comes against the backdrop of an expanding non-communicable disease burden in India. The statement says national health data indicate a substantial increase in cardiovascular and endocrine/metabolic disease and cites evidence of a rapid rise in obesity and diabetes
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The signatories include prominent public-health and medical figures such as former WHO Chief Scientist and former ICMR Director General Dr Soumya Swaminathan, public-health expert Dr K. Srinath Reddy, endocrinologists and diabetologits Dr Anoop Misra, Shanshank Joshi and Dr Ambrish Mithal, former AIIMS director Dr Randeep Guleria, diabetes specialist Dr V. Mohan, and NAPi convenor Dr Arun Gupta, among others
“India cannot eat its way to better health while junk food is advertised as entertainment. If we want to prevent an epidemic of childhood obesity and diabetes, we must stop selling unhealthy food to children as if it were harmless fun,” Dr Anoop Misra, Chairman Fortis C DOC told Firstpost
‘Healthy, modern and aspirational’
The experts argue that the problem is not limited to what is being sold but extends to how such products are marketed
They point to sugar-sweetened beverages, sweetened dairy products, biscuits, chocolates, instant noodles, breakfast cereals and confectionery among products increasingly promoted through sophisticated advertising campaigns
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“These campaigns can portray unhealthy products as “real, healthy, modern, aspirational, fun”, while using family emotions, discounts, celebrity endorsements and sponsorship of schools and sporting activities to drive sales,” Dr Arun Gupta, convenor, NApi
The experts are particularly concerned about the association between junk food and sport, arguing that such sponsorship can give unhealthy products an implicit health or performance halo
The statement cites World Health Organization evidence that repeated exposure to unhealthy food advertising can influence children’s food preferences, purchase requests and consumption patterns, potentially displacing healthier and traditional diets
Beyond television: influencers, giveaways and ‘buy one, get one’
NAPi’s proposed restrictions go considerably beyond conventional television advertising
The experts want comprehensive legislation covering the marketing of ultra-processed foods, including a prohibition on celebrity endorsements, cartoon characters, child-directed promotions, influencer marketing, giveaways, school-based promotions and sports sponsorships
They also want restrictions on price-based inducements such as “buy one get one free” offers
The proposed measures reflect a broader concern among public-health experts that marketing is no longer confined to conventional advertising. Children and families encounter food promotion through social media, entertainment, sporting events, schools and digital platforms
Government recommendations already exist
The experts argue that the government does not need to start from scratch
They point to the Economic Survey 2025-26, which, according to the statement, has highlighted the rising burden of obesity and recommended stronger regulation, including front-of-pack warning labels and restrictions on advertising of ultra-processed and HFSS foods during hours when children are likely to be exposed
The Economic Survey recommendations cited by NAPi include restricting exposure between 6 am and 11 pm and developing a clear definition of ultra-processed foods alongside HFSS foods
“The government’s earlier National Multisectoral Action Plan for Prevention and Control of Common Non-Communicable Diseases, included proposals to regulate advertising of HFSS foods and sugar-sweetened beverages, develop a comprehensive law regulating their marketing and restrict the sale of unhealthy foods in educational institutions,” Dr Gupta added
NAPi argues that several of these measures remain inadequately implemented despite earlier consultations
Schools should be junk-food-free
The statement also calls for a direct intervention in schools
NAPi wants sugary drinks and HFSS foods banned from school canteens, vending machines and other school food outlets, with only healthier options made available
The experts frame this not merely as a nutrition issue but as a child-rights and preventive-health priority, arguing that children should be protected from commercial marketing of products associated with poor health outcomes
By Toufiq Rashid
Toufiq Rashid is a journalist with over 25 years of experience in print and digital media. She covers health and lifestyle
Health
First Published:Aug 10, 2026, 20:14:55 IST
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