BJP MP Sujeet Kumar flags 'alarming' rise in consumption of junk food, urges govt to tighten regulation

New Delhi: Stating that the consumption of junk food has increased multifold over last few years, Rajya Sabha BJP MP Sujeet Kumar on Friday urged the government to make regulations related to packaged food more stringent, and levy additional tax to discourage people from consuming it.

Raising the issue in the House during Zero Hour, the MP from Odisha said the increase in consumption of junk food can be linked to the rise in non-communicable diseases in India.

"There is an alarming rise in consumption of junk food, which are high in salt, sugar, unhealthy fat, but offer minimal nutrition," Kumar said.

He quoted a WHO report from 2023, and said there has been a 40 times increase in consumption of packaged junk food between 2006 and 2019.

"Excessive consumption of junk food combined with poor lifestyle is one of the key reasons for increase in non-communicable diseases (NCD)," he said.

Kumar cited an ICMR report to say that NCD-related deaths increased "from 37.9 per cent in 1990 to 61.8 per cent in 2016." "Most worrisome is that children are getting addicted because advertisements target them. Almost 41 per cent of our population are children. Demographic dividend can become dangerous if our children grow as unhealthy citizens," he said.

The MP also said that the same brands sell better quality food products with better ingredients in western countries, but sell cheaper versions in India.

"They prioritise profit over the health of Indian citizens, taking advantage of our regulatory loopholes. The government should take measures to strengthen regulations," he said.

The MP called for stricter FSSAI regulation, and urged the government to consider levying health tax on junk food. He also stressed on mentioning the ingredients in legible fonts on packaged food.