India is moving forward with new regulations aimed at limiting the sale of high-fat and high-sugar foods within a 50-metre radius of schools. This initiative is part of a broader effort to combat rising obesity rates, particularly among children. The proposal reflects growing concerns over children’s health and the increasing consumption of junk food in the country.
It could prove another hurdle for multinationals such as PepsiCo, Coca-Cola , Mondelez and Nestle, which already face proposed rules to put red warning labels on products high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS), bringing India into line with markets such as Chile and Mexico that have tougher food safety regulations. In recent years, products ranging from Lay’s chips to Cadbury chocolates and Maggi noodles have grown in popularity. Some Indians with lower incomes view buying foreign brands as a mark of an improving lifestyle, while also being drawn by cheap prices.
The rule would impact family-run stores, restaurants and food stands selling everything from sugary soft drinks and salty chips to greasy samosas and fatty pizzas or burgers close to India’s 1.5 million schools. There is no fixed timeline for the law, first proposed in 2020. Amid a nationwide food safety crackdown, the authority in August published thresholds for fat, salt and sugar content that would trigger restrictions on sales near and inside schools, inviting public feedback until October 6. In 2023, Domino’s launched its cheapest pizza in the world in India, selling for just 49 rupees (50 US cents). the western state of Maharashtra, home to Mumbai, has taken a stricter approach – no shop within 50 metres of schools can carry such products, state food safety commissioner Tukaram Mundhe told Reuters While India’s federal law aims to block near-school shops from selling and advertising HFSS products only to schoolchildren.
Read More: Food Authority Proposes Warning Labels: How Front-Of-Pack Food Labels May Change Soon Rajit Punhani, the chief executive of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, which is driving the changes, said the “safe food” schools plan aimed to steer children away from unhealthy habits early on.
