NIN-led consortium releases policy roadmap for healthier diets

A Hyderabad-based NIN-led consortium has released a policy roadmap recommending stricter regulation of HFSS foods, front-of-pack warning labels, nutrition education and health taxes on sugary products to improve food environments and address rising childhood obesity among children and adolescents.

Hyderabad: To combat rising childhood obesity and diet-related illnesses, the ‘Let’s Fix Our Food’ (LFOF) Consortium, led by Hyderabad-based NIN, released a comprehensive policy roadmap in New Delhi on Wednesday.

Titled ‘Priority Policy Actions to Promote Healthier Diets and Food Environments for Children and Adolescents in India’, the document outlines actionable strategies to reshape how food is marketed, sold and consumed by the country’s youth.

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The document recommends curbing aggressive marketing and targeted promotion of High Fat, Sugar, and Salt (HFSS) foods across all media platforms to protect children and adolescents, implementing clear and easy-to-comprehend front-of-pack warning labels, and imposing dedicated health taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and confectioneries to discourage consumption.

It also recommends stricter monitoring and banning the sale of HFSS foods in educational canteens and within the immediate vicinity of schools and colleges, besides integrating comprehensive nutrition education and practical life skills into school curricula to empower youth to make informed, health-conscious dietary choices.

The policy document was launched in the presence of Dr M Srinivas, member, NITI Aayog, Dr Bharati Kulkarni, Director, ICMR-NIN, Prof (Dr) K Srinath Reddy, Marie-Claude Desilets, Chief of Nutrition, UNICEF India, and Dr Syed Imran Farooq, Executive Director, Resolve to Save Lives (RTSL).