NAPi has urged MoFPI to drop the Coca-Cola partnership and bar all unhealthy commodity industries from public food policy events. It has also called on the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to adopt a strong conflict-of-interest policy.
Published Aug 16, 2025 | 7:00 AM ⚊ Updated Aug 16, 2025 | 7:00 AM
The fourth edition of the World Food India will be held from 25 to 28 September 2025 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.
Synopsis: NAPi and health experts are alarmed to see Coca-Cola as the silver partner of the 4th edition of the World Food India, slated for September. Ironically, the event is being promoted by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries and FSSAI, among others, even as the country is battling obesity and diabetes.
“It’s Real Magic,” goes one of Coca-Cola‘s marketing slogans in India. The ‘magic’ — some may now call irony — is in full display.
In May 2025, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) instructed over 24,000 affiliated schools in India to put up ‘Sugar Boards’ to make students aware of the risks involved in excessive sugar intake. Three months later, the country’s flagship food policy event, World Food India – 2025, has Coca-Cola as its Silver Partner!
At the outset, it may seem innocuous. But for the Nutrition Advocacy in Public Interest (NAPi), a national thinktank of leading doctors, nutritionists, and public health experts, it is “a serious public health risk” that undermines India’s fight against obesity and diabetes.
“This is not just sponsorship,” NAPi said in a strongly worded statement, a copy of which is with South First. “It is an invitation for a high-sugar beverage company to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the government in shaping the country’s food future — even as children are being told to cut back on sugar.”
The Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) is organising the World Food India event, with the industry lobby group, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) as the National Event Partner.
Additionally, the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO – Co-Organiser), the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI – Regulatory Partner), and Ernst & Young (Knowledge Partner) are also involved in holding the event. It has made NAPi concerned.
NAPi said such co-branding grants legitimacy to products directly linked to rising obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and dental decay.
“On one hand, the government is urging schools to put up sugar boards; on the other, it is legitimising partnerships with Coca-Cola,” the statement read. “This contradiction sends a confusing message to children, parents, and educators alike.”
Speaking to South First, Dr. Nupur Bidla, a member of NAPi, said, “When the government partners with Big Soda, it sends the message that sugar board warnings are for classrooms, not conference halls.”
India has no conflict-of-interest policy in departments handling health or nutrition, a fact confirmed by replies to RTI applications in 2013, 2018, and 2025. This means powerful corporations can gain privileged access to decision-makers without oversight, experts argued
According to NAPi, the lack of safeguards allows:
The World Health Organization has explicitly cautioned governments against partnering with high-sugar and ultra-processed food companies in public nutrition spaces.
Yet, consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages is on a sharp rise in India, particularly among youth — the very demographic targeted by school sugar boards.
“Coca-Cola doesn’t produce food. It produces products, most of which are high in sugar and ultra-processed,” NAPi said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recently warned about India’s growing obesity crisis, urging “collective action” to ensure children are aware of — and reduce — their sugar intake.
Yet, the MoFPI, ITPO, FSSAI, and FICCI are collectively involved in organising the event with Coca-Cola as its Silver Partner.
“Partnering with a high-sugar beverage company directly contradicts this vision and undermines its spirit,” NAPi noted.
NAPi has urged MoFPI to drop the Coca-Cola partnership and bar all unhealthy commodity industries from public food policy events. It has also called on the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to adopt a strong conflict-of-interest policy.
“In the absence of such safeguards, public trust will erode, regulatory resolve will weaken, and the health of millions will be jeopardised,” the statement warned.
For now, the government’s food policy optics remain split — warning children about sugar on classroom walls, while giving Coca-Cola a front-row seat in shaping India’s food future.
Interestingly, there is one more irony to the entire partnership episode. The World Food India event decided to partner with Coke even as a clamour for boycotting American goods and companies, including Coca-Cola, has been growing shriller in the country after US President Donald Trump declared a tariff war against India.
The fourth edition of the World Food India will be held from 25 to 28 September 2025 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
