Hyderabad ICMR-NIN releases national policy roadmap on childhood obesity
The policy roadmap was officially unveiled by Dr M Srinivas, Member (Health), NITI Aayog, during the LFOF Dissemination and Consultation Workshop at the India Habitat Centre
By – Newsmeter Network|Published on : 22 July 2026 5:35 PM IST
New Delhi/ Hyderabad: Three years of extensive research by the Indian Council of Medical Research–National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR-NIN) and partner institutions into childhood obesity, school food environments, and dietary habits have culminated in a comprehensive national policy roadmap, which was released on Wednesday in New Delhi
Policy about combating childhood obesity
The policy document, titled ‘Priority Policy Actions to Promote Healthier Diets and Food Environments for Children and Adolescents in India,’ was developed by the ICMR-NIN-led Let’s Fix Our Food (LFOF) Consortium
It translates three years of multidisciplinary field evidence, nutrition assessments and stakeholder consultations into actionable regulations to combat rising rates of childhood overweight, obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs) across the country
The policy roadmap was officially unveiled by Dr M Srinivas, Member (Health), NITI Aayog, during the LFOF Dissemination and Consultation Workshop at the India Habitat Centre
The research findings across multiple states directly informed recommendations to curb obesogenic environments and restrict unhealthy food exposures for young people:
1. Fiscal and Marketing Restrictions
Proposes taxes on foods high in fat, salt, and sugar (HFSS), restrictions on marketing junk food to children and mandatory front-of-pack nutrition labelling (FoPNL)
2. School Environment Standards
Establishes stricter dietary standards in schools, promoting salt reduction, low-sodium salt substitutes and healthier dietary fats based on empirical school assessments
3. Dietary Literacy
Recommends Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) and direct youth engagement to improve food literacy and daily eating habits
Practical tools derived from findings
To support implementation of the new policy framework, the Consortium launched several practical tools developed directly out of the research phase:
Nutrition Environment Assessment Toolkit for Schools (NEAT-S): A standardised evaluation toolkit and report designed to audit and improve school food environments
Interactive Educational Modules: E-learning tools to help children interpret food labels, along with ICMR-NIN re
LFOF Digital Portal: An official platform hosting the policy briefs and research evidence
A multi-institutional effort
The three-year initiative brought together a wide network of national and international health organisations, including the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), UNICEF India, World Health Organization (WHO), Resolve to Save Lives (RTSL), Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI), World Food Programme (WFP), International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Institute of Economic Growth (IEG), Lady Irwin College and Deakin University.
ICMR-NIN Director Dr Bharati Kulkarni, PHFI Founder President Prof Dr K Srinath Reddy and others emphasised that translating this rigorous research into enforced policy is essential to protect future generations from long-term health risks
Next Story
