‘Let’s fix our food’: ICMR launches policy to tackle nutrition burden among children

<p>The Indian Council of Medical Research–National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR-NIN)-led ‘Let’s Fix Our Food’ (LFOF) Consortium released a <a href=”https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2287825&reg=48&lang=1″>policy document</a> titled ‘Priority policy actions to promote healthier diets and food environments for children and adolescents in India’, on July 22.</p><p>​India is facing a rapidly growing burden of diet-related <a href=”https://www.deccanherald.com/health/healthcare/explained-sehat-mission-an-effort-to-address-malnutrition-and-rising-non-communicable-disease-burden-4001469-4001469″>non-communicable diseases</a> (NCDs), including obesity, diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases and certain cancers. The Indian Council of Medical Research–India Diabetes (ICMR-INDIAB) study highlights the widespread burden of metabolic risk factors, <a href="https://healthylife7.com/dow-q2-earnings-beat-estimates-on-higher-pricing-and-self/” title=”DOW Q2 Earnings Beat Estimates on Higher Pricing and Self”>estimates that more than 101 million adults are living with diabetes, approximately 315 million with hypertension and 254 million with obesity.</p><p>However, this burden is no longer confined to adults. In India, nearly 41 million children aged 5 to 19 years were living with overweight or obesity in 2025, The incidence is projected to account for more than 11 per cent of the global childhood obesity burden by 2030.</p><p>Speaking at the launch, Marie-Claude Desilets, chief of nutrition, UNICEF India, said, “<a href=”https://www.deccanherald.com/india/karnataka/bengaluru/millets-up-sugar-down-icmr-s-menu-to-fight-non-communicable-diseases-3750975”>Malnutrition</a> is no longer only about undernutrition. Rising obesity, driven by unhealthy diets, challenges healthy growth among children and adolescents. The release of these ten policy briefs and the Nutrition Environment Assessment Toolkit for Schools (NEAT-S) aims to form 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.”</p>.Bengaluru kids feeding on processed food at risk of lifestyle diseases.World Obesity Day 2026: Doctors urge parents to ‘stop giving food as a reward’ to children.<p><strong>Key policy recommendations</strong></p><p><strong>Mandatory front-of-pack nutrition labelling (FoPNL):</strong> Recommends simple, highly visible, interpretative warning labels on packaged foods to help consumers easily spot excessive fat, sodium, or sugar levels.</p><p><strong>Stricter marketing restrictions:</strong> Replace voluntary industry self-regulation with mandatory legal bans on HFSS food advertising targeted at children, including restrictions on digital media, TV, cartoon/celebrity endorsements, and misleading health claims.</p><p><strong>Public food standards:</strong> Introduces quantified per-beneficiary salt and fat limits for public distribution, ready-to-cook rations, and institutional meals.</p><p><strong>Cardiovascular risk reduction:</strong> Promote healthier dietary fats and low-sodium salt substitutes to lower overall cardiovascular risk factors among youth.</p><p><strong>Health taxes:</strong> Recommends imposing dedicated taxes on HFSS foods and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) to disincentivise intake.</p><p><strong>Nutrition literacy:</strong> Introduce e-learning modules, educational resources, and school curricula to boost food label literacy and reduce screen time.</p>