ICMR-NIN-led consortium urges stricter school food rules, HFSS marketing curbs in India

Updated: July 23, 2026 03:18 pm IST Source: PTI

An ICMR-linked consortium has recommended a healthier school food environment, stricter regulation of marketing of unhealthy food, and front-of-pack nutrition labelling to address the rising burden of obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

The recommendations by the 'Let's Fix Our Food' (LFOF) Consortium — a multi-institutional platform led by the ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) — also include taxation of high-fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) foods.

Background

The recommendations are the outcome of nearly three years of multidisciplinary research, stakeholder consultations, and policy dialogues undertaken by the consortium.

The policy document, titled "Priority Policy Actions to Promote Healthier Diets and Food Environments for Children and Adolescents in India," was launched by NITI Aayog Member (Health) M Srinivas during the LFOF dissemination and consultation workshop.

Key Recommendations

The document outlines a roadmap for creating healthier food environments and improving dietary behaviours among children and adolescents. Its priorities include:

• Healthy school food environments
• Nutrition literacy
• Front-of-pack nutrition labelling
• Regulation of marketing of HFSS foods to children
• Taxation of HFSS foods
• Salt reduction
• Promotion of healthier dietary fats
• Low-sodium salt substitutes
• Behaviour change communication
• Youth engagement
• Fiscal measures to encourage healthier diets

Official Statements

Dr M Srinivas, NITI Aayog Member (Health), said evidence-based, multi-sectoral policy action was essential to create healthier food environments for children and adolescents.

"Collaborative initiatives such as the Let's Fix Our Food Consortium are important for addressing the growing burden of overweight, obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases in India."

Dr Bharati Kulkarni, ICMR-NIN Director, said the institute remained committed to generating high-quality evidence and fostering partnerships that translate research into public health action.

"The policy recommendations reflect the collective efforts of researchers, policymakers, development partners and young people working towards healthier food environments for India's future generations."

Dr K Srinath Reddy, Founder-President of the Public Health Foundation of India, stressed the need for comprehensive policy interventions addressing the commercial, social, and environmental determinants of unhealthy diets, and called for sustained measures to protect children and adolescents from obesogenic food environments.

Consortium Partners

The consortium comprises:

• ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition (NIN)
• Resolve to Save Lives India
• UNICEF India
• Public Health Foundation of India
• World Health Organization (WHO)
• Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)
• Institute of Economic Growth
• World Food Programme
• Lady Irwin College
• IFPRI
• Deakin University
• Several other national and international partners

According to the consortium, its work focuses on generating research, policy analysis, and advocacy to support India's efforts to prevent diet-related NCDs by transforming food environments, particularly for children and adolescents.

Additional Launches

The workshop also saw the launch of several knowledge products developed under the initiative, including:

• The LFOF website
• The Nutrition Environment Assessment Toolkit for Schools (NEAT-S) and its report
• An e-learning module on understanding food labels
• Educational resources on fats, sugars, and salt aimed at strengthening nutrition literacy among children and adolescents

Marie-Claude Desilets, UNICEF India Chief of Nutrition, said malnutrition was no longer limited to undernutrition, with rising obesity emerging as a major challenge to healthy growth among children and adolescents.