Tackling India's NCD Crisis: The Push for Nutritional Awareness on Everyday Foods
UPSC Relevance
Prelims: Health (Non-Communicable Diseases, Obesity, Nutrition), Governance (Government Initiatives, ICMR-NIN), Science & Tech (Food Composition).
Mains:
GS Paper 2: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health; Government policies and interventions for development.
GS Paper 3: Food processing and related industries in India.
Key Highlights from the News
The Union Health Ministry has asked all government departments to display the amounts of oil, sugar, and trans-fat in common Indian snacks like Samosa, Vada Pav, and Burger.
These boards will act as 'visual behavioural nudges' to guide people towards healthier eating habits.
This step comes in the context of increasing deaths due to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in India. NCDs account for over 66% of deaths in the country.
The nutritional content of food can be calculated through laboratory testing or by using the Indian Food Composition Tables (IFCT) published by the ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition (NIN).
New guidelines from ICMR-NIN have defined HFSS foods (High in Fat, Sugar, and Salt).
As per World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations, adults in India should consume less than 65 grams of fat, less than 25 grams of added sugar, and less than 5 grams of salt per day.
COMMENTS