The history of warning labels is all about humanity’s intense battles with containing impacts of toxic products masquerading as feel-good and even healthy consumer goods. Cigarettes have been in existence since the early 1600s, but the first successful attempt to tag a warning label on the tobacco rolls came only in 1966 in the US. The US Congress legislated that cigarettes and similar tobacco products should carry the Surgeon General's Advisory Committee on Smoking and Health. Ever since, the tobacco industry has been trying its best to fight such awareness endeavours.

Tobacco, it seems, has a new friend in town — junk food.

A new study from Consumers International and the World Obesity Federation has found that in 2010 alone obesity and overweight killed 3.4 million people globally, up from 2.6 million in 2005. In comparison, WHO data shows that tobacco kills nearly 6 million people every year. Between 1980 and 2008, the global prevalence of obesity (defined as a BMI of over 30) doubled across the globe.

Why the breast-beating? Because obesity is believed to be a major risk factor for a wide range of non-communicable diseases. And in 2008, nearly 36 million people died from non-communicable diseases, representing 63 per cent of the 57 million global deaths that year.

Activists want tobacco-type regulations on the food industry. They want the international community to set up a global convention to fight diet-related ill health, like the legal framework for checking tobacco use. One way to start the fight is to force the food industry to issue warning labels on products that are potentially harmful to health. And, of course, governments should formulate rules that would force food companies to raise the bar on the ingredients used. Also, there should be stringent regulations on advertising food. That’s another tough nut to crack given that with the arrival of social media, food advertising, mainly fast food, has exploded. In one estimate, Facebook alone saw more than six billion fast food ads in 2012.

In India, there are few strong rules on junk food control. According to a 2013 report from rating agency Crisil, the fast-food segment in India is growing rapidly and will become $1.1 billion in size in three years. In the US, a popular market for junk food, the fast food industry is estimated to be more than $180 billion in revenues. Health experts cite the example of the tobacco industry which, till the 1960s, said tobacco use was healthy. Only a globally concerted effort could check obesity, they insist.

Assistant Editor

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