GOVERNMENTOFINDIA
MINISTRYOFHEALTH ANDFAMILYWELFARE
DEPARTMENTOFHEALTHRESEARCH
LOK SABHA
UNSTARREDQUESTION NO. 2261
TOBE ANSWERED ON12TH DECEMBER, 2025
ULTRA-PROCESSEDFOODREGULATION
2261.COM. SELVARAJ V:
SHRISUBBARAYANK:
Will the Minister of HEALTHANDFAMILYWELFAREbe pleasedtostate:
(a) whether the Government is aware that the Dietary Guidelines for Indians issued by the
National Institute of...
GOVERNMENTOFINDIA MINISTRYOFHEALTH ANDFAMILYWELFARE DEPARTMENTOFHEALTHRESEARCH LOK SABHA UNSTARREDQUESTION NO. 2261 TOBE ANSWERED ON12TH DECEMBER, 2025 ULTRA-PROCESSEDFOODREGULATION
2261.COM. SELVARAJ V:
SHRISUBBARAYANK:
Will the Minister of HEALTHANDFAMILYWELFAREbe pleasedtostate:
(a) whether the Government is aware that the Dietary Guidelines for Indians issued by the National Institute of Nutrition highlight the risks of diets high in Ultra-Processed Food (UPF), and that UPF sales in the country have risen nearly 40-fold from 2006 to 2019 and if so, the details
thereof:
(b) whether it is a fact that India still does not have a front-of-pack labelling (FOPL) regulation to help control UPF consumption, despite evidence from other countries that simple and visible warnings are effective andif so, the detailsthereof; and
(c) whether the Government has taken note of this situation and if so, the details thereof along with the Government's reactionthereto? ANSWER THE MINISTER OFSTATEIN THE MINISTRYOFHEALTHAND FAMILYWELFARE
(SHRIPRATAPRAOJADHAV)
(a): The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has informed that the Dietary Guidelines for Indians (2024) released by National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR-NIN) classify ultra-processed foods (UPFs) as foods to be minimized due to their high fat, sugar, and salt (HFSS) content; poor nutritional quality, and their relation with obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and other non- communicable diseases (NCDs). The guidelines further highlight that unhealthy dietary patterns, characterized by excessive intake of HFSS foods and UPFs, are important contributors to India’s overall NCD and disease burden. However, while the guidelines clearly caution against the consumption of UPFs, they do not specifically mention the reported 40-fold increase in UPF sales between2006and2019.
(b) and(c): FoodRegulationDivision of Department of HealthandFamilyWelfarehasinformed that the Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020 specifies the provisions for labelling of pre-packaged foods where some information/declarations are mandatory requirements to be provided on the front of the pack, such as: Name of the Food, Veg / Non-Veg Symbol, Multi-Source Edible Oil Declaration, Coffee–Chicory Mixture Statement, Gluten-Free Declaration, Irradiated Food Declaration. The above information provides the informed choice to the consumers.
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