New Delhi: The Press Council of India (PCI) has written to the Union Health Ministry, ‘specific comments’ on newspaper advertisements promoting foods high in fat, sugar, and salt (HFSS), reported The New Indian Express.
In a letter dated April 3, PCI Secretary Shubha Gupta informed Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava that the council had received a formal communication from the Nutrition Advocacy in Public Interest (NAPi), . NAPi urged the PCI to consider amending the Norms of Journalistic Conduct to restrict advertisements for HFSS products.
The PCI’s letter, which was also sent to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, emphasized that the food items advertised by the print media are duly certified by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
As per the news report, giving reference to the communication from NAPi, which shared the definition of HFSS and Ultra-processed food products (UPFs), the letter said, “specific comment of the ministry is solicited as the concern raised by the NAPI vis-à-vis such advertisements being published in the newspapers.”
In a letter dated February 10, the NAPi urged the Chairperson of PCI, Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai, to revise the Norms of Journalistic Conduct to include a prohibition on advertisements for high in fat, salt, and sugar (HFSS) and ultra-processed foods (UPFs). Currently, the guidelines only restrict advertisements related to alcohol.
“It explicitly calls for stricter advertising regulations to curb misleading promotions of UPFs/HFSS – an issue that falls directly under the ethical responsibility of the press and media,” the NAPi February letter said.
