DELHI: India is staring down a junk food epidemic, and the government wants to fight back with an advertising ban. The Economic Survey, tabled in the Lok Sabha on Thursday, has pitched a radical proposal: prohibit ultra-processed food advertisements from 6am to 11pm across all media platforms.

The timing is hardly coincidental. India has become one of the world’s fastest-growing markets for ultra-processed foods: those calorie-laden concoctions of burgers, noodles, pizza and soft drinks that increasingly dominate Indian diets. The consequences are written in the waistlines of a growing number of Indians.

Excess weight among children under five has jumped from 2.1 per cent in 2015-16 to 3.4 per cent in 2019-21, the survey notes. More troubling still, over 3.3 crore children in India were obese in 2020, with projections suggesting that figure will balloon to 8.3 crore children by 2035.

The numbers for adults paint an equally grim picture. According to the 2019-21 National Family Health Survey, 24 per cent of Indian women and 23 per cent of Indian men are overweight or obese. Among women aged 15-49 years, 6.4 per cent are obese, whilst among men, 4 per cent are overweight, the survey said.

The pre-budget document doesn’t mince words about the scale of the challenge. To tackle ultra-processed foods, it advocates front-of-pack nutrition labelling for high-fat, sugar and salt foods, with warnings that restrict marketing to children and ensure trade agreements don’t undermine public health policy.

The survey also suggests restrictions on marketing infant and toddler milk and beverages, whilst flagging growing obesity among children.

The proposed marketing ban would run from 0600 hours to 2300 hours across all media, with mandatory enforcement of restrictions on marketing infant and toddler milk and beverages.

India isn’t treading new ground here. The survey points to Chile, which has integrated such laws, along with Norway and the UK, where advertisement restrictions are already in place for ultra-processed foods.

Britain recently banned junk food advertising before 9pm on television and online to reduce children’s exposure and curb childhood obesity. Further action on other marketing activities, including school and college sponsorship of events by ultra-processed food manufacturers, can be designed, the survey said.

Yet India’s regulatory landscape remains muddled. Rule 7 of the Advertisement Code prohibits misleading, unverified, or unhealthy advertisements but doesn’t define “misleading” with measurable or nutrient-based criteria, leaving interpretation subjective and inconsistent.

Similarly, the Central Consumer Protection Authority guidelines for prevention of misleading advertisements (2022) mandate that advertisements must not exaggerate health benefits or exploit children.

Yet they lack clear nutrient thresholds or a framework for identifying misleading claims in food marketing, the survey said, adding that this regulatory ambiguity allows companies marketing ultra-processed foods to continue making vague health, energy, or nutrition cues without violating any clearly defined standard, highlighting a critical policy gap that needs reform.

The stakes couldn’t be higher. India is one of the fastest-growing markets for ultra-processed food sales, contributing to chronic diseases worldwide and widening health inequalities.

The survey lays bare the commercial triumph of junk food in India. Sales of ultra-processed foods grew more than 150 per cent between 2009 and 2023. Retail sales surged from $0.9 billion in 2006 to nearly $38 billion in 2019, a 40-fold rise. It is during the same period that obesity has nearly doubled in both men and women, the survey said.

The document advocates a multi-pronged approach to tackle the rising consumption of ultra-processed foods (popularly known as junk foods), which includes burgers, noodles, pizza, soft drinks, and the like, warning it is contributing to chronic diseases worldwide and widening health inequalities.

Improving diets cannot depend solely on consumer behaviour change, the survey argues. It will require coordinated policies across food systems that regulate ultra-processed food production, promote healthier and more sustainable diets and marketing.

The gauntlet has been thrown. Whether India’s policymakers have the stomach to take on the junk food industry remains to be seen.

MUMBAI:  PHD Media has appointed Vinita Shrivastav as vice president – business planning, taking charge of the agency’s Marico portfolio and reinforcing its strategic leadership bench. The move signals the agency’s commitment to delivering future-ready, high-impact solutions for one of India’s most iconic FMCG brands.

Vinita brings over 17 years of experience across brand strategy, integrated marketing, media planning, research, and business leadership. Recognised as Best South Asian Strategic Planner of the Year by Campaign Asia, she is known for building insight-led, scalable growth platforms across categories.

She started her career with a research foundation at TAM Media, before taking on leadership roles across Reliance and Zee. She later joined Mindshare’s core strategy team, led the marketing vertical at IN10 Media, and most recently drove the L’Oréal business at Wavemaker, delivering integrated, high-impact media and brand-building solutions across markets.

In her new role, Vinita will steer the Marico mandate, focusing on strategic innovation, business growth, and integrated, future-ready media solutions. She will collaborate closely with both Marico and PHD Media leadership to build scalable, impactful brand platforms that deliver long-term business value.

“This appointment strengthens our strategic leadership and reinforces PHD Media’s commitment to insight-led planning and execution excellence. Vinita brings the analytical depth, commercial acumen, and strategic vision to drive innovation and growth for one of India’s most respected FMCG brands,” said a spokesperson for PHD Media.

Vinita said, “I am excited to join PHD Media and lead the Marico portfolio. In today’s dynamic market, building scalable, insight-driven brand platforms is critical. I look forward to collaborating with the teams at PHD Media and Marico to deliver strategic, high-impact solutions that drive long-term business value.”

With this appointment, PHD Media underscores its focus on category-defining brand partnerships and intelligence-led planning, ensuring the agency remains at the forefront of strategic media innovation.

Havas CX India has strengthened its leadership bench, appointing Amandeep Singh Kochar as executive vice president, experience strategy and martech head, as the group doubles down on customer experience as the core of brand growth.

Based in Gurugram, Kochar will report to Manas Lahiri, chief growth officer of Havas India, who also oversees the Havas CX India operations. He will work closely with leadership teams across the network to position Havas CX India at the centre of client conversations.

In his new role, Kochar will focus on building future-ready customer experience and marketing technology capabilities, spanning martech, CRM and data analytics. His mandate includes strengthening the network’s go-to-market strategy and driving deeper integration across Havas India agencies.

David Shulman, global ceo of Havas CX, said, “I’m thrilled to welcome Amandeep to the Havas CX team. In today’s landscape, brands are increasingly recognizing the importance of uniting communications and experience. Amandeep’s leadership will empower our clients to gain deeper insights into customer needs and develop experiences that deliver on the promises brands communicate.”

Lahiri said customer experience now sits at the heart of brand relationships and long-term value creation. “Across markets, CX is emerging as the core driver of brand relationships, loyalty and long-term value, and today sits at the centre of every client conversation. As brands navigate an increasingly complex marketplace, CX has become the lens through which strategy, creativity, data and technology must converge. Amandeep brings a rare blend of strategic depth, martech expertise and regional leadership experience. His ability to build CX capabilities and drive growth will be critical as we scale our CX strategy and go-to-market practice.”

Kochar said Havas CX India was at a pivotal moment. “Havas India has emerged as one of the most progressive integrated networks today, with a powerful blend of creativity, data and media. Havas CX India is at an exciting inflection point where these capabilities are coming together with technology to deliver real business outcomes. There is no better place to build the future of CX, and I’m looking forward to partnering with Manas and the wider Havas teams to create scalable CX and martech solutions that deliver seamless, impactful consumer journeys.”

Kochar brings 15 years of experience across India and South-east Asia, working with enterprise brands on aligning brand strategy, customer experience and marketing technology. His expertise spans first-party data programmes, personalisation at scale, CRM, martech orchestration and marketing effectiveness. He most recently worked at VML, helping build CX and commerce capabilities across India and South-east Asia, and has also pursued an entrepreneurial consulting stint focused on Bharat-first brands. His client portfolio includes Ford, Colgate, Mahindra, Hindustan Unilever, PepsiCo and BAT.

A frequent contributor to industry thought leadership, Kochar has authored reports for WARC and publishes a biweekly newsletter, Marketing Mediator.

With experience, data and technology now inseparable, Havas is making its bet clear. The future of brand growth, it believes, will be won where experience, martech and meaning meet.