AA Edit | Half-baked Govt Food Advisory
While the advisory merely included illustrations of the oil and sugar boards, they depicted mostly Indian foods, apart from items like pizza, burgers, chocolate, ice cream, French fries and jam
An intra-governmental advisory issued by the Union health ministry recommending the installation of oil and sugar boards in various offices on June 21, 2025, kicked off a furore nearly a month later, with critics portraying it as an attempt to target Indian street food vendors.
While the advisory merely included illustrations of the oil and sugar boards, they depicted mostly Indian foods, apart from items like pizza, burgers, chocolate, ice cream, French fries and jam. This triggered controversy on social media, where the government was criticised for allegedly mandating warning labels for jalebi, samosa and laddu.
The backlash was so intense that the government, instead of clarifying the actual contents of the advisory, dismissed the social media messaging as fake news. A day later, the government issued a clarification about the initiative. It stated that the advisory was aimed at nudging people to eat healthier by raising awareness about the harmful effects of hidden fats and excessive sugar in various food items.
Excessive consumption of oil and sugar is a key contributor to rising rates of obesity, diabetes, hypertension and other lifestyle-related diseases.
The economic impact of obesity alone was $28.95 billion in 2019. By 2050, this figure is projected to rise to $81.53 billion. The cost is expected to escalate further to $838.6 billion by 2060.
The boards were intended to be installed as part of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India's Eat Right India programme, which was launched in July 2018.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his Mann Ki Baat address last month, rightly called upon people to reduce oil in food by 10 per cent. Earlier, he encouraged people to shift to millets, which are considered a healthier cereal than rice or wheat.
Though the government has been working with a long-term strategy, the health ministry’s decision to attach examples led to serious blowback. Just like culture and language, food is also closely tied to people’s hearts — and votes. Officials, therefore, should be more mindful of their messaging in the future.