Your favourite samosa or laddoo might soon come with more than just flavour – expect a side of health advice. In a first-of-its-kind move, the Union Health Ministry has directed all central institutions, including AIIMS Nagpur, to install vivid “oil and sugar boards” highlighting the hidden fat and sugar content in everyday Indian snacks, according to a report by ‘The Times of India’.
The initiative, described by health experts as a step toward treating junk food like tobacco, aims to make nutritional awareness a part of the public eating experience. The boards – set to appear in cafeterias and common areas – will display nutritional breakdowns of popular foods such as vada pav, pakoras, gulab jamun, and chai-time biscuits.
“This marks the beginning of food labelling being taken as seriously as cigarette warnings.Sugar and trans fats are the new tobacco. People need to know what they’re consuming,” said Dr Amar Amale, President of the Cardiological Society of India’s Nagpur chapter.
The directive is part of a broader government push to combat India’s growing obesity crisis. A recent internal report underscores the urgency – by 2050, over 449 million Indians are projected to be overweight or obese, second only to the United States. Already, 1 in 5 urban adults is overweight, with childhood obesity on the rise.
