The 'Let's Fix Our Food' (LFOF) Consortium, led by the Indian Council of Medical Research–National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR-NIN), has released a policy document outlining evidence-based recommendations to promote healthier diets and food environments for children and adolescents across India.
The 'Let's Fix Our Food' (LFOF) Consortium, a multi-institutional national platform led by ICMR-NIN, has released a policy document titled 'Priority Policy Actions to Promote Healthier Diets and Food Environments for Children and Adolescents in India'. The launch took place during the LFOF Dissemination and Consultation Workshop held at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi. Participants included Dr. M. Srinivas, Member (Health), NITI Aayog; Dr. Bharati Kulkarni, Director, ICMR-NIN; Prof. (Dr.) K. Srinath Reddy, Founder President, Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI); and senior representatives from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, FSSAI, UNICEF India, Resolve to Save Lives (RTSL), consortium partner institutions, researchers, development partners, and youth representatives.
The policy document covers key areas such as 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 publication brings together nearly three years of multidisciplinary research, stakeholder consultations, and policy dialogues.
Speaking at the event, Dr. M. Srinivas emphasized the need for evidence-based, multisectoral policy action to create healthier food environments for children and adolescents. Dr. Bharati Kulkarni stressed ICMR-NIN's commitment to generating high-quality evidence and fostering partnerships that translate research into public health action.
In addition to the policy document, several knowledge products were launched, 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 on fats, sugars, and salt to strengthen nutrition literacy among children and adolescents.
Source:
Press Information Bureau
