For many years now, activists in India have been fighting an uphill battle: getting healthy foods on the plates of people, both adults and children. What are they up against? A steady stream of ultraprocessed food, food that is high in fat, sugar and sodium, labels that either do not warn consumers or do so in text that is not displayed prominently, misleading claims about the ‘health’ benefits of certain food, unfettered advertisements, and worst of all, food sold in India that is unhealthier compared to the same items sold abroad.
What is at stake? The metabolic health of millions of Indians. We know that bad diets can contribute to obesity, which in turn can contribute to hypertension, diabetes and a host of other issues. This week, we look at developments in the diet and health sector, spurred by the Supreme Court’s criticism of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the country’s food regulator, and what has followed. And while this a definite step forward, Bindu Shajan Perappadan interviews an activist who points out that the ‘two or more’ condition still leaves critical gaps in the framework .
The FSSAI, long lambasted for allowing big food brands to get away with misleading advertisements, and for taking no action on warning labels on unhealthy foods, has now submitted a proposal in the Supreme Court for a front-of-pack pictorial warning label for food products high in any two or more “nutrients of concern”, reports Krishnadas Rajagopal .
Cancer is never quite out of the news is it? There’s good news and news that requires some reflection this week. In the good news, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a groundbreaking new drug for advanced pancreatic cancer. The daily pills will be sold by Revolution Medicines under the brand name Rasonque. Also, following on last week’s news of an mRNA tumour vaccine that showed promising results in a melanoma trial, Dr. Harish P. delves into how tumour vaccines work , and if they could herald a revolution in cancer treatment. In other news, R. Sujatha , examines a new study on childhood cancer in India and speaks to experts about why, when many cancers in children have high cure rates, children in India still face barriers in accessing and adhering to treatment. And in tech-related mental health news, Hemanth C.S. reports that scientists at the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research have developed a low-cost, user-friendly point-of-care diagnostic system for the detection of Alzheimer’s.
