Imagine a glass of sugarcane juice. It can already contain more than five teaspoons of sugar. Now imagine someone adds mango pulp to it and sells it as mango juice with “no added sugar”. Is that really a healthy drink, or is the label trying to make it sound healthier than it is?

This is the kind of question that India’s food safety agency, FSSAI, is asking. It is also checking products that use words like “natural”, “healthy”, or “heart-friendly” without proving that these claims are true.

The problem is that there are thousands of food products on store shelves. FSSAI has to check them one by one, which takes a lot of time. Instead, it should create clear rules about which claims companies can make and which they cannot. That would make it harder for businesses to find loopholes.

Many Indians are becoming more health-conscious. This is not surprising because India has more than 100 million people with diabetes, and many more who are overweight. As people try to eat healthier, some companies take advantage of this by making processed foods seem healthier than they really are.

This has happened in other countries too. In the United States, products like soft drinks, chips, ice cream, and cookies were once sold as “100% natural”. One famous example was 7-Up, which claimed to be a natural drink even though it contained high-fructose corn syrup, a type of sweetener.

When it comes to food, people deserve honest information. A cereal that contains lots of fat, salt, and sugar should not look healthy just because it says “gluten-free” on the package. Labels should help consumers understand what they are eating, not confuse them.

FSSAI’s effort to stop misleading food claims is a good start. But it should also work with consumer groups, health activists, and trustworthy influencers who expose dishonest marketing. Making food labels truthful is a big job, and it will take many people working together.

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