India is currently navigating a complex nutritional transition. While undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies remain persistent public health concerns, a rising tide of overweight, obesity, and diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is increasingly affecting the nation’s youth. This “double burden” of malnutrition, which sees both underweight and excess weight coexisting within the same population, necessitates a paradigm shift in how the country views food policy: moving from a focus on individual choice to a structural transformation of the food environment.
The recently released Let’s Fix Our Food (LFOF) policy brief series, spearheaded by the Indian Council of Medical Research–National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR-NIN), argues that placing the onus of healthy eating on individuals is insufficient when the commercial and physical landscape is systematically tilted toward unhealthy options. With 561 million children and adolescents aged 5–19, the stakes are immense. Projections suggest that by 2030, India could account for more than 11 percent of the global childhood obesity burden, while simultaneously grappling with the reality that 24 percent of its adolescent population remains underweight.
The implications for the nation’s future are profound. Unhealthy diets are a primary driver of NCDs, which now account for over 56 percent of India’s total disease burden. Improving the quality of food is not merely an obesity-prevention strategy; it is a critical investment in human capital, directly impacting growth, learning, and future economic productivity.
Schools occupy the front lines of this challenge. With approximately 1.46 million schools serving 247 million children, the educational ecosystem is an unparalleled platform for dietary reform. While policies like the PM POSHAN scheme and FSSAI regulations on food sales near school premises exist, the primary hurdle remains the gap between regulation and enforcement. To address this, experts suggest using tools like the Nutrition Environment Assessment Toolkit for Schools (NEAT-S) to monitor and standardize healthier food environments. Furthermore, shifting the educational focus toward “practical nutrition literacy”—such as cooking demonstrations, school gardens, and the ability to interpret complex food labels—is essential to equipping adolescents to navigate a commercial food landscape that heavily prioritizes profit over health.
Beyond the classroom, the broader food environment requires aggressive regulatory intervention. Food marketing, particularly via digital media and sports sponsorships, acts as a powerful influencer; studies indicate that over 80 percent of advertisements during major sporting events feature unhealthy food, alcohol, or tobacco. Given this saturation, voluntary industry self-regulation has proven inadequate. Comprehensive, mandatory restrictions on the marketing of foods high in fat, sugar, and salt (HFSS) are necessary to protect the youth.
Fiscal policy offers another potent tool for change. Modelling suggests that extending a 40 percent Goods and Services Tax (GST) to ultra-processed foods could prevent nearly 10 million disease cases over three decades. Revenues generated from such measures could be ring-fenced to subsidize nutritious staples like pulses, fruits, and vegetables, thereby correcting the current price disparity that makes unhealthy calories cheaper than fresh produce.
Equally important is the simplification of information. Pan-India data shows that a vast majority of adolescents favor clearer, more accessible nutrition labeling on food packaging. Implementing mandatory, interpretive warning labels would empower younger consumers to make informed choices at the point of purchase. Finally, the agenda must extend to the quality of dietary fats and salt, as excessive salt intake and the misuse of cooking oils remain widespread contributors to the NCD crisis.
Ultimately, the path toward a healthier India requires that young people be treated as stakeholders rather than passive targets of policy. Engagement platforms like U-Report have shown that youth are acutely aware of the marketing pressures they face. By integrating these perspectives into governance, India can harmonize its existing regulatory instruments—ranging from food safety standards to health programs—into a coherent architecture. The objective is to create a systemic framework where healthy, nutritious choices are not just recommended, but are the most accessible, affordable, and sustainable options for all.
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