After introducing a plan to curb smoking in movies, Federal Health Minister
Anbumani Ramdoss is now asking movie actors and cricketers to stop being brand
ambassadors to aerated drinks to curb obesity and diabetes among children.
Schools in the US schools have stopped serving aerated drinks to children
precisely for this reason and it is high time India bans these harmful drinks
in schools and educates the public on its contents and harmful effects. Movie
actors and cricketers are major influences in India and their promoting of
harmful products will cloud vast majority of the unaware and illiterate
population.
Diabetes is also a serious problem in India with an estimated 30 million cases
of adults over 20 years or 6% of the population. There is no data available on
presence of diabetes and obesity among children. While India can rely on US
figures to institute policy change, it will be useful to know actual Indian
figures.
Ramdoss is not planning to bring in policy change but only a request of
cooperation. Actors and cricketers make more money from endorsements than their
profession. Till recently, they never paid taxes on such earnings.
