Packaged Food Needs a ‘Health Halo’ to Sell.

Our food chain is so industrialised and our food so processed, that it is hardly ‘food’ any more, it’s really a chemical construct full of additives, colours and aromas. Not only is food not food anymore, it's not being bought in the same places. Earlier we bought our rations from shops and vegetables from the sabziwala. Now we are buying our food in packages made of laminated films and tetrapacks. Glitzy ads promote these foods. Marketing processed foods, especially ultra-processed ones,  uses vivid packaging, digital media, celebrity endorsements, and prime placement in stores to drive consumption. Children specially love picking up these attractive packets and this is where the most damage is done.

Genuine wholesome food requires no promotional slogans. Packaged products , however, depend heavily on health claims - cholesterol-free, low fat, multigrain, heart-healthy - to create a perception of nutritional virtue that influences purchasing decisions. These labels succeed in diverting attention from what these processed foods actually contain, the added sugars, refined starches, high sodium levels, and synthetic additives. A biscuit marketed as low fat may contain high levels of refined flour, sugar, and trans fats from partial hydrogenation.
We know that ultra-processed foods, regardless of individual nutrient claims, are associated with increased risks of obesity, cardiovascular disease, and mortality. 

Researchers have demonstrated that people consuming ultra-processed diets ate significantly more calories and gained more weight than those eating unprocessed foods with identical macronutrient profiles - suggesting that processing itself, not just nutrient composition, affects health outcomes.

Acknowledging the critical issue of ultraprocessed food and its relation to obesity and lifestyle diseases, several international bodies, chief among them, the WHO (World Health Organisation) have come up with regulations and recommendations, specially for children, to the limit spread of these foods.

Marketing deception is particularly well illustrated by the cholesterol-free label: vegetable oils naturally contain no cholesterol (a compound found only in animal products), yet this meaningless claim suggests health benefits while obscuring high levels of inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids and industrial processing methods. This marketing strategy proves especially effective among aspiring middle-class consumers, where brand trust substitutes for ingredient literacy. This isn't coincidental - it reflects how industrial food systems manufacture consumer acceptance. Companies spend billions on health claims and packaging psychology because they work. Authentic food requires no persuasion; all it needs is transparency. The louder a product proclaims its healthfulness, the more critically its ingredient list deserves scrutiny. When dal needs no label and biscuits need several, the contrast speaks for itself.