Tobacco Industry Exposed : Industry tactics targeting Young People and Food Industry is no exception

I also guarantee that every consumer is aware of the harm caused from tobacco but in reality they have been trapped under calculated industry tactics and socio-economic pressures.  

 Subhiksha Shankarraman*

I used to always wonder ‘what is good health and am I able to lead one sufficiently?’. During my adolescence, I had become very fond of Blue Lays.It’s ‘Indian magic masala’ kept lingering in my taste buds that I just could not stop after eating just 1 packet. 

I craved for more even though I was well aware of it’s side effects.  I am a mindful consumer but it was not until my early twenties that I learnt to reflect on my choice and change my consumption behaviour. Blue Lays being cheap, tasty, less time consuming to prepare and easily available, it found its way to substitute our healthy but time consuming home made chips that my Amma used to prepare. You may wonder, if I was mindful of my choice, why did I choose to consume so many Blue Lays packets in a day?; I believe that it was because I was in an environment which was deceiving and unsafe for me to make healthy choices. The nudging techniques like bright colour packaging, frontal product positioning at eye sight level, cheap price, extra offers etc. used by the business people and industry successfully influenced me to be a loyal customer but at the cost of my good health. 

After several discussions with Mr. Suneel Vatsyayan, who is a social worker, dedicated to NCDs prevention and rehabilitation of people living with dependence on tobacco ,alcohol and other addictive behaviour , I now wonder whether a person (especially the youth) addicted to tobacco or alcohol go through a similar situation. In 2019, Mr. Vatsyayan was awarded the Rex Karmaveer Award and he is known for his ground-breaking work in the field of peer education, barrier free services, counselling and youth engagement for tobacco control. From being in numerous conversations with him and despite being a non-consumer of either tobacco or alcohol, I am able to understand how a consumer’s behaviour can be manipulated and trapped in a certain way. 

Tobacco is one such expensive commodity that affects youth and people living with tobacco use. They now make up a considerable size of the population of India representing the present generation contributing to extensive growth.  I also guarantee that every consumer is aware of the harm caused from tobacco but in reality they have been trapped under calculated industry tactics and socio-economic pressures. 

Mr. Vatsyayan again described to me an analogy of a daring lion who also gets trapped by the hunter in spite of all its strength and wisdom, similar to a youth who gets trapped by the industries. They influence young people’s choices, ensuring they are not fully informed in this market driven society. This analogy has changed my narrative on the industry’s tactics and how they continue to blame the young people for their behaviour rather than owning responsibility. This changed narrative empowered me and I was filled with a bout of energy to move further with the work of Nada Young India Network for Good Health

*Nada Good Health Champion