Rise of ultra-processed foods in diets damaging public health, fuelling chronic diseases globally: Lancet report

NEW DELHI: The rise of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) in human diets is damaging public health, fuelling chronic diseases from obesity, diabetes to cancer worldwide, and deepening health inequalities, said the new Lancet series released on Wednesday. The series on Ultra-Processed Foods and Human Health stressed that addressing this challenge requires a unified global response that confronts corporate power and transforms food systems to promote healthier, more sustainable diets. According to Dr. Arun Gupta, a pediatrician and co-author of the three-part Lancet Series papers, India is witnessing the same shift the Lancet Series warns about. The traditional meals are fast being replaced by hyper-palatable industrial UPF products via aggressive marketing and advertising campaigns. Yet, he said, India does not have exact data on UPF consumption. Our regulations are ineffective to restrict marketing. India must act immediately to take action and cut the consumption of UPFs to aim for a halt in obesity and diabetes in coming years, said Dr Gupta, who is the Convenor of Nutrition Advocacy in Public Interest (NAPi), a national think tank on nutrition. Given that India is fastest in sales growth and the evidence of poor health outcomes, India needs to frame UPF as a priority health issue, said the nutrition expert. He pointed out that retail sales of UPFs in India surged from $ 0.9 billion in 2006 to nearly $38 billion in 2019, a forty-fold rise. During the same period obesity doubled in India in both men and women. According to an ICMR-INDIAB study, obesity affects one in four individuals (28.6 percent), diabetes affects one in 10 individuals (11.4 percent), prediabetes one in seven individuals (15.3 percent) and abdominal obesity one in three (39.5 percent). Diminished immunity, aggravated inflammation, a cluster of life-threatening chronic diseases and an unprecedented rise in overweight and obesity across the world are now shown to be the consequence of these commercial foods displacing healthy natural diets, said Prof. Srinath Reddy, Chancellor of PHFI University of Public Health Sciences. While global regulation of such products is needed, India needs to adopt strong regulatory measures directed at their production, marketing and public disclosure of their constituents, he stressed. He said front of pack warning labels must clearly communicate the harmful levels of salt, sugar and fat to the consumers. The series, authored by 43 global experts, said there is enough evidence to show that the rise of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) in human diets is a leading cause of the diet-related chronic disease pandemic but added that UPFs are a politically neglected global health issue. UPFs are industrial formulations of food substances, mostly high in fat, sugar, and/or salt (HFSS), full of unwanted and harmful ingredients such as cosmetic additives like stablisers, emulsifiers, colorants, flavouring substances etc. It mostly includes pre-packaged food and beverage products such as namkeens, noodles, biscuits, sugar-sweetened beverages, chips, and breakfast cereals etc. According to Dr Vandana Prasad, Community Pediatrician, Technical Advisor at Public Health Resource Society (PHRS), the evidence on harm to human health is clear, and what is needed is action. We need not delay policy action. Policy intervention is particularly urgent in India. UPF consumption is rising fastest yet it is controllable if we act quickly, she said, as she called for banning UPFs in schools, hospitals, and public institutions. Sylvie Chamois, nutrition specialist, UNICEF India, said, if countries like India - where UPF markets are expanding most rapidly - are among the fastest to act, the collective impact will be significant. What is required next is political resolve, technical investment, and clear accountability across sectors. She highlighted that UPFs are widely available in places where children live, learn, and play - schools, childcare centres, sports facilities, and nearby retail outlets. Sponsorships and visibility normalise UPF consumption, making avoidance nearly impossible. In India especially, digital penetration is so high, especially amongst youth. Digital food marketing is personalised; algorithms, influencers, and gaming integrations deliver personalized UPF marketing that is constant, often invisible to adults. It is designed to bypass childrens limited ability to recognize persuasion, she said. Experts said that UPFs consumption is driven due to aggressive marketing, celebrity endorsements and promotional tactics. A comprehensive, government-led approach is needed to reverse the rise in UPF consumption. Priority actions include adding ultra-processed markers, such as colours, flavours, and non-sugar sweeteners, to nutrient profiling models used to identify unhealthy foods; mandatory front-of-pack warning labels; bans on marketing aimed at children; restrictions on these types of foods in public institutions; and higher taxes on UPFs, the series said. Taxation on UPFs could help to fund cash transfers for whole foods and other minimally processed foods to help protect low-income households, it added.New Delhi, Nov 19: The rise of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) in human diets is damaging public health, fuelling chronic diseases from obesity, diabetes to cancer worldwide, and deepening health inequalities, said the new Lancet series released on Wednesday. The series on Ultra-Processed Foods and Human Health stressed that addressing this challenge requires a unified global response that confronts corporate power and transforms food systems to promote healthier, more sustainable diets. According to Dr. Arun Gupta, a pediatrician and co-author of the three-part Lancet Series papers, India is witnessing the same shift the Lancet Series warns about. The traditional meals are fast being replaced by hyper-palatable industrial UPF products via aggressive marketing and advertising campaigns. Yet, he said, India does not have exact data on UPF consumption. Our regulations are ineffective to restrict marketing. India must act immediately to take action and cut the consumption of UPFs to aim for a halt in obesity and diabetes in coming years, said Dr Gupta, who is the Convenor of Nutrition Advocacy in Public Interest (NAPi), a national think tank on nutrition. Given that India is fastest in sales growth and the evidence of poor health outcomes, India needs to frame UPF as a priority health issue, said the nutrition expert. He pointed out that retail sales of UPFs in India surged from $ 0.9 billion in 2006 to nearly $38 billion in 2019, a forty-fold rise. During the same period obesity doubled in India in both men and women. According to an ICMR-INDIAB study, obesity affects one in four individuals (28.6 percent), diabetes affects one in 10 individuals (11.4 percent), prediabetes one in seven individuals (15.3 percent) and abdominal obesity one in three (39.5 percent). Diminished immunity, aggravated inflammation, a cluster of life-threatening chronic diseases and an unprecedented rise in overweight and obesity across the world are now shown to be the consequence of these commercial foods displacing healthy natural diets, said Prof. Srinath Reddy, Chancellor of PHFI University of Public Health Sciences. While global regulation of such products is needed, India needs to adopt strong regulatory measures directed at their production, marketing and public disclosure of their constituents, he stressed. He said front of pack warning labels must clearly communicate the harmful levels of salt, sugar and fat to the consumers. The series, authored by 43 global experts, said there is enough evidence to show that the rise of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) in human diets is a leading cause of the diet-related chronic disease pandemic but added that UPFs are a politically neglected global health issue. UPFs are industrial formulations of food substances, mostly high in fat, sugar, and/or salt (HFSS), full of unwanted and harmful ingredients such as cosmetic additives like stablisers, emulsifiers, colorants, flavouring substances etc. It mostly includes pre-packaged food and beverage products such as namkeens, noodles, biscuits, sugar-sweetened beverages, chips, and breakfast cereals etc. According to Dr Vandana Prasad, Community Pediatrician, Technical Advisor at Public Health Resource Society (PHRS), the evidence on harm to human health is clear, and what is needed is action. We need not delay policy action. Policy intervention is particularly urgent in India. UPF consumption is rising fastest yet it is controllable if we act quickly, she said, as she called for banning UPFs in schools, hospitals, and public institutions. Sylvie Chamois, nutrition specialist, UNICEF India, said, if countries like India - where UPF markets are expanding most rapidly - are among the fastest to act, the collective impact will be significant. What is required next is political resolve, technical investment, and clear accountability across sectors. She highlighted that UPFs are widely available in places where children live, learn, and play - schools, childcare centres, sports facilities, and nearby retail outlets. Sponsorships and visibility normalise UPF consumption, making avoidance nearly impossible. In India especially, digital penetration is so high, especially amongst youth. Digital food marketing is personalised; algorithms, influencers, and gaming integrations deliver personalized UPF marketing that is constant, often invisible to adults. It is designed to bypass childrens limited ability to recognize persuasion, she said. Experts said that UPFs consumption is driven due to aggressive marketing, celebrity endorsements and promotional tactics. A comprehensive, government-led approach is needed to reverse the rise in UPF consumption. Priority actions include adding ultra-processed markers, such as colours, flavours, and non-sugar sweeteners, to nutrient profiling models used to identify unhealthy foods; mandatory front-of-pack warning labels; bans on marketing aimed at children; restrictions on these types of foods in public institutions; and higher taxes on UPFs, the series said. Taxation on UPFs could help to fund cash transfers for whole foods and other minimally processed foods to help protect low-income households, it added.