India, June 7 -- Prime Minister's clarion call to reduce sugar intake by school children is very timely. He emphasised that to reduce intake you need to know how much you are eating. We are talking about prepackaged food products, high in sugar, salt or fats (HFSS). Health Stars might look pretty, but they mislead.

In Australia, where stars have been used for over a decade, evidence shows little to no reduction in sugar or fat content in the food supply. Chile, in contrast, saw a 24% drop in sugary drink purchases within two years of implementing warning labels.

This is why India needs true labels on the front of the pre-packaged food or drink products. After more than a decade of deliberation and over 30 months of delay on a final draf...