Economic Survey Suggests Ban On Ultra Processed Food Advertisements

New Delhi: India’s social sector has picked up fast from the setback of the COVID times. As per the Economic Survey (ES), social sector initiatives supported by targeted welfare schemes, economic reforms, and expanded access to essential services, have contributed to a reduction in poverty levels and unemployment rate, and helped in steady improvement of key health and education indicators in India. However, the Survey has also flagged several concerns relating to rise in obesity due to over consumption of Ultra Processed Food (UPF), digital addiction including online gaming.

Based on the revised poverty line by the World Bank, India’s poverty rates in 2022-23 are estimated at 5.3% per cent for extreme poverty and 23.9% per cent for lower-middle-income poverty, the Survey said. In June 2025, the WB revised the international poverty line from USD 2.15 to USD 3.00 per day.

Key health and education indicators, such as life expectancy, the infant mortality rate (IMR), and the gross enrolment ratio (GER), have shown steady improvement, indicating gains in overall health outcomes, maternal and child health, access to education, and human capital formation.

In the health sector, India has reduced its MMR by 86 per cent since 1990, far exceeding the global average of 48%. A 78 per cent decline in the under-five mortality rate (U5MR) was achieved, surpassing the global reduction of 61% and a 70% decline in the neonatal mortality rate (NMR) compared to 54 % globally during 1990-2023. The IMR marked a drop of more than 37 % over the past decade, declining from 40 deaths per thousand live births in 2013 to 25 in 2023, the Survey said.

However, the Survey also raised concerns on the growing consumption of ultra processed foods (UPF) containing high fat and sugar, and called for exploring a ban on their advertisements from morning to late night. It also called for restrictions on marketing of infant and toddler milk, and beverages. Survey talked about the menace of digital addiction and online gaming and flagged its impact on mental health.

It underlined that marketing strategies for UPFs often include explicit encouragement for overconsumption. It said adolescents exposed to unhealthy food and beverage advertising showed a high desire and intention to consume the advertised foods. A study from Punjab found that parents are concerned about food advertisements, especially during children's TV viewing time, and celebrity endorsements, which they believe may increase the frequency of children eating out, the Survey said.

In the education sector, the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) are 90.9 at the primary stage, 90.3 at the upper primary, 78.7 at the secondary stage and 58.4 at the higher secondary stage.

“Covid did not show any slippage on skills of the children,” said Chief Economic Advisor V. Anantha Nageswaran while talking about the findings of the Economic Survey.

The number of higher education institutions has increased from 51,534 in 2014-15 to 70,018 in June 2025, significantly improving access. This increase is marked by substantial growth in universities and colleges.

The Survey also talked about need to handle digital addiction among children, youth and adults. Online gaming is another growing menace that needs to be tackled aggressively. The Survey mentioned the need for awareness programmes in colleges and workplaces, having technology-free zones, and ‘buddy’ or ‘mentor’ systems to promote healthier digital habits and build offline connections. “Adults may be encouraged to adopt ‘digital diets’ involving voluntary device-free periods. For severe cases, community-based, device-free spaces can provide professional support,” Survey said. It talked about promoting simpler devices for children, such as basic phones or education-only tablets, along with enforced usage limits and content filters, can further reduce exposure to harmful material, including violent, sexual, or gambling-related content.

In employment and skilling development, the Survey said 56.2 crore people were employed in the second quarter of FY26, reflecting a creation of around 8.7 lakh new jobs in Q2 compared to Q1 of FY26.

In agriculture, due to good monsoon season the foodgrain production is estimated to have reached 3,577.3 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) in Agriculture Year (AY) 2024–25, an increase of 254.3 LMT over the previous year. This growth has been driven by higher output of rice, wheat, maize and coarse cereals, the Survey said. Horticulture has emerged as a key driver of agricultural growth. In 2024-25, horticulture production reached 362.08 million tonnes (MT), surpassing the estimated food grain production of 357.73 MT.