New Delhi, Jul 22 (PTI) An ICMR-linked consortium has recommended healthier school food environment, stricter regulation of marketing of unhealthy food and front-of-pack nutrition labelling to tackle the rising burden of obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases.
The recommendations by the ‘Let’s Fix Our Food’ (LFOF) Consortium, a multi-institutional platform led by the ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), also include taxation of high-fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) foods.
The recommendations are the outcome of nearly three years of multidisciplinary research, stakeholder consultations and policy dialogues undertaken by the consortium.
The policy document, “Priority Policy Actions to Promote Healthier Diets and Food Environments for Children and Adolescents in India” was launched by NITI Aayog Member (Health) M Srinivas during the LFOF dissemination and consultation workshop held here.
The document outlines a roadmap for creating healthier food environments and improving dietary behaviours among children and adolescents.
Its priorities spans healthy school food environments, nutrition literacy, front-of-pack nutrition labelling, regulation of marketing of HFSS foods to children, taxation of HFSS foods, salt reduction, promotion of healthier dietary fats, low-sodium salt substitutes, behaviour change communication, youth engagement and fiscal measures to encourage healthier diets.
Launching the document, Dr Srinivas said evidence-based, multi-sectoral policy action was essential to create healthier food environments for children and adolescents.
“Collaborative initiatives such as the Let’s Fix Our Food Consortium are important for addressing the growing burden of overweight, obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases in India,” he said.
The ICMR-NIN Director Dr Bharati Kulkarni said the institute remained committed to generating high-quality evidence and fostering partnerships that translate research into public health action.
“The policy recommendations reflect the collective efforts of researchers, policymakers, development partners and young people working towards healthier food environments for India’s future generations,” she said.
Public Health Foundation of India Founder-President Dr K Srinath Reddy stressed the need for comprehensive policy interventions addressing the commercial, social and environmental determinants of unhealthy diets and called for sustained measures to protect children and adolescents from obesogenic food environments.
The consortium comprises ICMR-NIN, Resolve to Save Lives India, UNICEF India, the Public Health Foundation of India, the World Health Organization, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the Institute of Economic Growth, the World Food Programme, Lady Irwin College, IFPRI, Deakin University and several other national and international partners.
According to the consortium, its work focuses on generating research, policy analysis and advocacy to support India’s efforts to prevent diet-related NCDs by transforming food environments, particularly for children and adolescents.
The workshop also saw the launch of several knowledge products developed under the initiative, including the LFOF website, the Nutrition Environment Assessment Toolkit for Schools (NEAT-S) and its report, an e-learning module on understanding food labels and educational resources on fats, sugars and salt aimed at strengthening nutrition literacy among children and adolescents.
UNICEF India Chief of Nutrition Marie-Claude Desilets said malnutrition was no longer limited to undernutrition, with rising obesity emerging as a major challenge to healthy growth among children and adolescents.
“The release of these ten policy briefs and the Nutrition Environment Assessment Toolkit for Schools marks a step towards creating policies for healthier school food environments. Every child has the right to grow up in a food environment that enables them to thrive, learn and achieve their full potential,” she said.
Resolve to Save Lives India Executive Director Dr Syed Imran Farooq highlighted the need to reduce excess consumption of salt, fat and sugar while adopting policies that support healthier food environments to reduce the burden of cardiovascular diseases and other health risks.
The consultation also showcased evidence generated by consortium partners on school food environments, unhealthy food marketing, nutrition education, dietary behaviours, fiscal policy options and nutrition environment assessments across multiple states. PTI PLB SKY SKY
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