ICMR-NIN-Led Consortium Releases Policy Priorities for Healthier Diets in Children and Adolescents
The Indian Council of Medical Research–National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR-NIN)-led 'Let's Fix Our Food' Consortium released a policy document titled 'Priority Policy Actions to Promote Healthier Diets and Food Environments for Children and Adolescents in India' on July 22, 2026. The document outlines evidence-based recommendations to improve dietary behaviors and create healthier food environments, specifically targeting children and adolescents across India. It was launched by Dr. M. Srinivas, Member (Health) of NITI Aayog, during the LFOF Dissemination and Consultation Workshop held at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi, with key attendees including Dr. Bharati Kulkarni (Director of ICMR-NIN), Prof. K. Srinath Reddy (Founder President of PHFI), and senior representatives from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, FSSAI, UNICEF India, Resolve to Save Lives (RTSL), and other consortium partners.
The Consortium is a multi-institutional national platform involving ICMR-NIN, RTSL India, UNICEF India, Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI), PHFI, WHO, FSSAI, IEG, WFP, Lady Irwin College, IFPRI, Deakin University, and other national and international partners. Its aim is to prevent diet-related non-communicable diseases by transforming food environments, particularly for youth, through research, policy analysis, advocacy, and stakeholder engagement.
The policy recommendations are based on nearly three years of multidisciplinary research, stakeholder consultations, and policy dialogues. Key areas addressed include healthy school food environments, nutrition literacy, front-of-pack nutrition labelling, regulation of marketing unhealthy food to children, taxation of foods high in fat, salt, and sugar (HFSS), promotion of healthier dietary fats, salt reduction, low-sodium salt substitutes, social and behavior change communication, youth engagement, and fiscal measures to encourage healthier diets.
During the launch, several knowledge products were introduced, 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 a suite of ICMR-NIN educational resources focused on fats, sugars, and salt to enhance nutrition literacy among children and adolescents. The workshop also featured discussions on translating evidence into actionable policy recommendations, with emphasis on multisectoral collaboration and sustained action to address the growing burden of overweight, obesity, and diet-related diseases in India.
The policy briefs are available for access at https://letsfixourfood.org/LFOF-policy-brief.php.