{
  "id": 6469077,
  "title": "India has to act on its ‘sugar’ problem",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/09/india-has-to-act-on-its-sugar-problem",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-09-09T20:05:57.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Hindu Health",
    "slug": "the-hindu-health",
    "url": "https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/india-has-to-act-on-its-sugar-problem/article71448748.ece"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "This week, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), prompted by the Supreme Court, put forth a straightforward yet long overdue proposal. The idea involves placing bold red warnings on the front of packaged food items that are high in fat, salt, or sugar, rather than hiding them in fine print on the back. This move is expected to alert consumers, particularly children, at a glance, that the food they are purchasing is not as healthy as advertised. However, this alone is not sufficient. There has been a sharp increase in the number of children suffering from morbid obesity and diabetes in recent years. According to the World Obesity Atlas 2026, 41 million Indian children and adolescents aged 5 to 19 are now overweight or obese. This is not solely due to increased consumption but rather what is being sold to them. Breakfast cereals, sweetened yogurts, and \"health drinks\" are marketed as filling nutritional gaps in children's diets, highlighting \"energy\" and vitamins without adequately addressing the sugar content. In 2024, a leading multinational corporation was discovered adding sugar to infant food sold in India and other low-income countries, a practice left out of the same product in Europe. When a popular \"health drink,\" commonly consumed in Indian households, was found to be nothing more than flavored sugar syrup, it took a social media backlash and not a regulatory body to compel the company to reduce its added sugar content by 15%. The issue is exacerbated in school and college settings, where studies show that the cheapest, most easily accessible snacks are also the least healthy. A popular \"energy drink\" priced at just ₹20 contains nearly 17 grams of sugar, caffeine, and artificial coloring per bottle. Despite the label indicating that it is not intended for children, nothing prevents children from purchasing it. This market pricing of unhealthy calories to fit within a child's budget is unjustifiable. While the proposed red label is a genuine first step, it is not enough. Enforcement of existing guidelines and rules is crucial. The FSSAI and CBSE have consistently recommended limits on unhealthy food sales in schools, but these recommendations are often treated as optional, and canteens stock whatever is cheapest. Additionally, the unorganized sector, which consumes the majority of sugar, salt, and trans fats in India, is not subject to any regulation or labeling requirements. A red label on a packaged food item does nothing to address the jalebi sold loose at street stalls or dhabas. To truly address the problem, regulation must extend to the unorganized sector as well. Lastly, India needs to have an honest discussion about implementing a tax on sugar. The UK's soft drinks industry levy, introduced to discourage sugar consumption, has proven effective. Manufacturers reformulated their products to remain below the tax threshold instead of raising prices. A well-designed sugar tax would not only discourage consumption but also push the industry to produce less harmful products. Currently, India taxes sugary drinks heavily, but the tax is not structured in a way that incentivizes reduction. A tiered tax system, based on sugar content, as seen in the UK, would provide manufacturers with a financial incentive to reduce sugar levels in their products. Critics argue that such a tax would disproportionately impact the poor, but this is only half the story. Unregulated, cheap sugar already exacts a heavy toll on the poor, contributing to the diabetes, hypertension, and childhood obesity epidemic they face, with limited resources to combat these issues. Instead of neutral inaction, India must design a tax calibrated to sugar content that encourages reformulation while allocating a portion of the revenue to make healthy food more affordable.",
  "summary": "When the U.K. introduced its soft drinks industry levy, sugar consumption fell. Manufacturers reformulated their drinks to slip below the tax threshold rather than raise prices",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Hindu - Sci-Tech",
        "title": "India has to act on its ‘sugar’ problem",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/09/india-has-to-act-on-its-sugar-problem-6469943",
        "published": "2026-09-09T20:05:57.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Economic Times",
        "title": "Apple's India play faces a 'hypertension' problem",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/10/apples-india-play-faces-a-hypertension-problem",
        "published": "2026-09-10T02:16:50.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}