Over 200,000 junk food ads aired monthly: Health expert seeks legal ban

By A Representative 
Public health expert and Nutrition Advocacy for Public Interest (NAPi) convenor Dr Arun Gupta has called on the Union Ministries of Health and Family Welfare and Information and Broadcasting to urgently implement a ban on advertising of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and foods high in fat, sugar and salt (HFSS), warning that India can no longer afford delays in addressing a growing obesity and non-communicable disease crisis.
In a communication addressed to the Union Health Minister, the Union Information and Broadcasting Minister and senior officials of both ministries, Dr Gupta drew attention to his recent lead article published in The Hindu, titled “End the free rein of junk food advertising in India”.
Dr Gupta argued that the Government of India had already committed itself to prohibiting HFSS food advertising under the National Multisectoral Action Plan (NMAP) for Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases, adopted in 2017, but that the commitment remains unfulfilled. “India cannot afford further delay,” he said, urging the government to amend existing advertising regulations and strengthen food safety laws to explicitly prohibit HFSS and UPF advertising.
According to Dr Gupta, the scale of junk food promotion in India has reached alarming levels, with more than 200,000 advertisements for such products being aired every month and advertising expenditure estimated at around ₹170 crore. He said these advertisements frequently target children and adolescents and often rely on misleading health and nutrition claims. Earlier analyses by NAPi found that junk food marketing commonly uses celebrities, emotional appeals and claims that obscure the unhealthy nutritional profile of the products.
Dr Gupta also pointed to growing scientific evidence that ultra-processed foods are deliberately engineered to be highly palatable and potentially addictive. He noted that recent research, including findings highlighted in the 2025 Lancet series on UPFs, has strengthened concerns about the health impacts of these products and the commercial strategies used to expand their consumption.
The public health advocate stressed that the state has a constitutional duty to intervene when foreseeable harm threatens vulnerable populations, particularly children. He cited international examples such as Chile, Mexico, Norway and the United Kingdom, where governments have introduced enforceable restrictions on junk food advertising, arguing that voluntary self-regulation by industry has failed to protect public health. Recent UK measures restricting the advertising of foods high in fat, salt and sugar have been cited internationally as a model for reducing children's exposure to unhealthy food marketing.
Dr Gupta's appeal comes as official policy discussions increasingly acknowledge the risks posed by ultra-processed foods. The Economic Survey 2025-26 recommended exploring a ban on UPF advertising across all media from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., alongside stronger restrictions on marketing directed at children and clearer front-of-pack nutrition warnings. The Survey also highlighted India's rapid growth in UPF consumption and linked it to rising obesity and other non-communicable diseases.
Calling for immediate government action, Dr Gupta urged the Centre to implement the NMAP commitment on advertising prohibitions by amending the Advertising Code and the Norms of Journalistic Conduct, 2022, and to amend the Food Safety and Standards Act to explicitly ban advertising of HFSS and ultra-processed foods. “We hope the Ministries of Health and Family Welfare and Information and Broadcasting will take this matter with urgency and protect children from predatory marketing of addictive products,” he said.