Union Health Ministry Clarifies: No Warning Labels Required for Sellers
Advisory Issued to Workplaces to Raise Awareness About Obesity
New Delhi: Sellers of sweets like samosas, jalebis, laddoos, and similar items no longer need to worry. The Union Health Ministry has called certain claims made in some media reports misleading and baseless—specifically reports suggesting that food items like samosas, jalebis, and laddoos would need to carry warning labels.
Clarifying the situation, the Health Ministry stated that it has only advised workplaces to encourage personnel to choose healthier options. For this purpose, workplaces like office lobbies, canteens, cafeterias, and meeting rooms have been advised to display boards raising awareness about the harmful effects of consuming foods high in added fats and sugars. These boards aim to spread the message of preventing obesity, which is rapidly becoming a concern in the country.
Importantly, the Ministry’s advisory does not mandate warning labels on food products sold by vendors, nor does it target Indian snacks or the rich street food culture.
This is a general advisory intended as a behavioral nudge to make people more aware of the hidden fats and sugars in all food products. The advisory encourages nutritious eating by promoting fruits, vegetables, and low-fat options, as well as physical activities like using stairs, exercising, and walking.
This initiative forms part of the Ministry’s key efforts under the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NP-NCD). Excessive consumption of oil and sugar contributes to obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and other lifestyle-related diseases.
