India’s Economic Survey 2025–26, tabled in Parliament by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, has spotlighted obesity as a rapidly escalating public health crisis driven by unhealthy diets, sedentary lifestyles, and surging consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs).
The Survey warns that obesity now affects millions across age groups and regions, elevating risks of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs). It proposes strong measures including a nationwide ban on UPF advertising between 6 am and 11 pm across all media, front-of-pack warning labels for high-fat, salt and sugar products, curbs on marketing of infant and toddler milk and beverages, and calls for multi-pronged policy action to regulate the food system and improve diets.
Experts and officials stress the urgency of coordinated policy and awareness campaigns to curb unhealthy dietary trends and protect the health of future generations.
Alarming Rise in Obesity and Dietary Shifts in India
The Economic Survey paints a stark picture of nutritional transition in India. Drawing on National Family Health Survey (NFHS) 2019–21 data, it notes that 24 per cent of Indian women and 23 per cent of men aged 15-49 are now overweight or obese.
Among children under five, excess weight prevalence has climbed from 2.1 per cent in 2015–16 to 3.4 per cent in 2019–21, signalling that unhealthy weight gain is not confined to adults alone. Independent estimates suggest over 3.3 crore children were obese in 2020, a figure projected to more than double to 8.3 crore by 2035 if current trends persist.
At the same time, India has emerged as one of the fastest-growing markets for UPF sales, with retail sales growing from roughly USD 0.9 billion in 2006 to nearly USD 38 billion in 2019 a nearly 40-fold rise. Between 2009 and 2023, UPF sales reportedly increased by over 150 per cent, as these products displace traditional diets and worsen overall diet quality. Common UPFs include packaged snacks, soft drinks, instant noodles, sugary cereals and ready-to-eat meals.
Senior health officials and economists highlighted that these dietary shifts, coupled with increasingly sedentary lifestyles and environmental factors, have contributed to a surge in non-communicable diseases especially diabetes, heart disease and hypertension in both urban and rural populations.
In a press briefing, Chief Economic Advisor V. Anantha Nageswaran warned that rising obesity threatens India’s demographic dividend by reducing workforce productivity and increasing healthcare burden. He urged clearer food labels and more proactive public health measures to help citizens make better dietary choices.
Proposed Policy Measures and Regulation Gaps
To counter the trend, the Economic Survey proposes several bold policy initiatives. The most attention-grabbing recommendation is a ban on advertising UPFs from 6 am to 11 pm across all media platforms, including television, print, digital and social media. This is designed to reduce exposure particularly among children and young people to persuasive marketing that often promotes high-fat, sugar and salt-laden products.
The Survey also calls for “front-of-pack nutrition labelling” that carries strong warnings on foods with high levels of fat, sugar and salt, moving beyond passive nutrition facts to more visible, interpretative messaging that can influence consumer behaviour. It further suggests restricting marketing of infant and toddler milk and beverages to prevent misleading health claims and protect early childhood nutrition.
Importantly, the document underlines that existing regulatory frameworks such as the Advertising Standards Council of India’s code and the Central Consumer Protection Authority’s (CCPA) guidelines on misleading advertisements lack clear nutrient-based thresholds, making enforcement inconsistent and subjective. The Survey suggests integrating specific criteria for UPFs into food safety regulations under the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), strengthening monitoring and compliance.
Experts have also welcomed the Survey’s recognition that improving diets cannot rely on consumer behaviour change alone. A coordinated, food-system-wide approach is needed encompassing production, marketing, pricing and education to promote healthier and more sustainable eating patterns and ensure that economic policies align with public health goals.
Beyond advertising restrictions, commentators have noted that the Survey’s recommendations could extend to fiscal measures, such as higher GST slabs or targeted taxation on foods exceeding certain sugar, salt or fat thresholds, to make unhealthy options less economically attractive, though such moves would need careful calibration to avoid unintended regressivity.
Context and the Broader Health Landscape
The concerns highlighted by the Economic Survey echo wider public health evidence. A recent Lancet series warned that UPFs not only add “empty calories”, but by displacing whole foods, undermine diet quality and contribute to inflammation and chronic disease risk across populations.
Experts calling for strict regulation include recommendations for clear ingredient disclosures, extreme caution against celebrity endorsements and robust front-of-pack warnings measures that align closely with the Survey’s proposals.
India’s evolving nutrition landscape reflects a double burden: while undernutrition remains a concern in some regions, overweight and obesity are rising rapidly, especially in urban and more affluent areas. Data from NFHS-5 and other surveys show significant state-wise disparities in obesity rates, underlining the complex socio-economic dimensions of the crisis.
The policy push also resonates with existing government initiatives like POSHAN Abhiyaan, Fit India Movement, Eat Right India and the National Programme for Prevention and Control of NCDs, which aim to improve nutrition, physical activity and early NCD detection across communities. However, experts argue that deeper regulatory reforms such as those proposed in the Economic Survey are critical to supplement awareness campaigns and education efforts.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
The Economic Survey’s findings are a wake-up call not just for policymakers, but for every citizen, family and community. Rising obesity is not merely a statistical trend; it represents millions of lives at greater risk of chronic disease and reduced quality of life.
While regulation of UPF advertising and stronger food labelling are valuable steps, lasting change will require collaborative action that respects choice while prioritising health. Industry leaders must adopt responsible marketing practices; policymakers should balance public health goals with equity and fairness; and citizens need support and education to make nutritious choices accessible and affordable.
