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 developed through nearly three years of multidisciplinary research, stakeholder consultations, and policy dialogues to address the growing burden of overweight, obesity, and diet-related non-communicable diseases among Indian children and adolescents.
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. The Consortium is a multi-institutional national platform including Resolve to Save Lives India, UNICEF India, Global Health Advocacy Incubator, PHFI, WHO, FSSAI, IEG, WFP, Lady Irwin College, IFPRI, and Deakin University.
The launch event at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi was presided over by Dr. M. Srinivas, Member (Health) of NITI Aayog, along with Dr. Bharati Kulkarni (Director, ICMR-NIN), Prof. (Dr.) K. Srinath Reddy (Founder President, PHFI), and representatives from Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, FSSAI, UNICEF India, and development partners. The workshop also featured the launch of several knowledge products including the LFOF website, Nutrition Environment Assessment Toolkit for Schools (NEAT-S) with its report, an e-learning module on understanding food labels, and ICMR-NIN educational resources on fats, sugars and salt for strengthening nutrition literacy.
Marie-Claude Desilets, Chief of Nutrition at UNICEF India, emphasized that malnutrition now includes rising obesity driven by unhealthy diets, while Dr. Syed Imran Farooq of Resolve to Save Lives highlighted the need to reduce excess salt, fat and sugar intake to lower cardiovascular disease burden. The consultation showcased new evidence on school food environments, unhealthy food marketing, nutrition education, dietary behaviours, and fiscal policy options across multiple states.