Ban junk food ads, says panel

An expert committee has recommended to the national food regulator a steep tax on junk food, besides a complete ban on advertisements promoting it on TV shows aimed at children.

The 11-member panel — commissioned by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India — wants an end to celebrity endorsement of junk food as well.

The idea is to help the children stay away from foods high in unhealthy fat, sugar and salt. The experts have recommended a ‘balanced diet’ in which 60-70% of total calories come from carbohydrate, 10-12% from protein, and the remaining 20-30% from fat. On fats, the recommendation is to have it in its unsaturated form, with avocados, nuts, and canola and olive oils.

The food regulator constituted the panel following the Delhi High Court, hearing two cases, asking the FSSAI to suggest nutritious, healthy and wholesome food for school children.

FSSAI had referred its draft guidelines to experts for their opinion. Inadequate studies on Indian food habits, the experts felt, pose a hurdle to framing region-specific guidelines for children and adults.

But the 58 observational studies conducted so far indicate that an adult in India consumes higher-than-ideal quantities of fat, salt and sugar.

“Imposing additional tax on the purchase of commodities such as pre-packaged foods with high salt and fat content and sugar-sweetened beverages can be a pragmatic approach to reduce their intake,” the panel said in its report.