ICMR-NIN-Led Consortium Releases Policy Priorities for Child Nutrition
The Indian Council of Medical Research–National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR-NIN)-led 'Let's Fix Our Food' Consortium has released a comprehensive policy document titled 'Priority Policy Actions to Promote Healthier Diets and Food Environments for Children and Adolescents in India'. The document represents nearly three years of multidisciplinary research, stakeholder consultations, and policy dialogues, outlining evidence-based recommendations to address the growing burden of overweight, obesity, and diet-related non-communicable diseases among India's youth population.
Dr. M. Srinivas, Member (Health) of NITI Aayog, launched the policy document during the LFOF Dissemination and Consultation Workshop at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi. The event was attended by Dr. Bharati Kulkarni (Director, ICMR-NIN), Prof. K. Srinath Reddy (Founder President, PHFI), and senior representatives from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, FSSAI, UNICEF India, Resolve to Save Lives, and multiple international partners including WHO, WFP, IFPRI, and Deakin University.
The policy recommendations cover ten key areas: healthy school food environments, nutrition literacy, front-of-pack nutrition labelling, regulation of marketing of unhealthy food to children, taxation of foods high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS), healthier dietary fats, salt reduction, low-sodium salt substitutes, social and behaviour change communication, youth engagement, and fiscal measures to promote healthier diets.
During the workshop, the Consortium launched several knowledge products including the LFOF website, the Nutrition Environment Assessment Toolkit for Schools (NEAT-S) with its accompanying report, an e-learning module on understanding food labels, and a suite of ICMR-NIN educational resources on fats, sugars, and salt designed to strengthen nutrition literacy among children and adolescents.
Dr. Srinivas emphasized that evidence-based, multisectoral policy action is essential to create healthier food environments for children and adolescents, while Dr. Kulkarni highlighted ICMR-NIN's commitment to translating research into public health action. Marie-Claude Desilets of UNICEF India noted that malnutrition now includes rising obesity driven by unhealthy diets, challenging healthy growth among children. Dr. Syed Imran Farooq of Resolve to Save Lives emphasized the need to reduce excess salt, fat, and sugar intake alongside supportive food policies to lower cardiovascular disease burden.
The Consortium represents a multi-institutional national platform with participation from Resolve to Save Lives India, UNICEF India, Global Health Advocacy Incubator, PHFI, WHO, FSSAI, IEG, WFP, Lady Irwin College, IFPRI, Deakin University and other national and international partners working through research, policy analysis, advocacy, and stakeholder engagement to transform food environments.