What happened

The ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR-NIN)-led 'Let's Fix Our Food' (LFOF) Consortium released a policy document titled 'Priority Policy Actions to Promote Healthier Diets and Food Environments for Children and Adolescents in India'. The document sets out evidence-based policy priorities to improve food environments and dietary behaviour among children and adolescents in India.

The policy document was launched by Dr. M. Srinivas, Member (Health), NITI Aayog, at a dissemination and consultation workshop in New Delhi. The workshop included representatives from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), UNICEF India, Resolve to Save Lives (RTSL), consortium partners, researchers, development partners, and youth representatives.

Background and earlier position

Childhood overweight, obesity, and diet-related non-communicable diseases are increasingly linked to obesogenic food environments, especially where unhealthy foods are heavily marketed, easily available, and poorly regulated. The consortium positions food-environment reform as a preventive public health strategy rather than a narrow nutrition education exercise.

The LFOF Consortium is a multi-institutional national platform led by ICMR-NIN, with partners including RTSL India, UNICEF India, Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI), Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), World Health Organization (WHO), FSSAI, Institute of Economic Growth (IEG), World Food Programme (WFP), Lady Irwin College, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Deakin University, and other institutions. The consortium uses research, policy analysis, advocacy, and stakeholder engagement to support India's response to diet-related non-communicable diseases.

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