Hyderabad: To tackle the growing burden of adolescent obesity in India, Hyderabad-based ICMR–National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), in collaboration with the World Health Organization and UNICEF India, has launched the ‘Let’s Fix Our Food’ (LFOF) initiative, a comprehensive effort to reshape food environments rather than just individual choices.The initiative stems from a 2022 multi-stakeholder consultation involving NITI Aayog and NIN, which identified five priority action areas, including front-of-pack nutrition labelling, taxation of high fat, sugar, and salt (HFSS) foods, stricter marketing regulations, improved nutrition literacy, and setting public health targets.“Food environments today are dominated by ultra-processed and HFSS foods, which are widely available, heavily marketed, affordable, and aspirational. In contrast, healthier foods are less visible, less accessible, and often costlier. Even in remote areas, packaged snacks are easier to find than nutritious options. In such a scenario, advising adolescents alone is not enough,” said Dr Subba Rao MG, senior scientist at NIN.Experts highlight that children are particularly vulnerable to food advertising, often unable to distinguish between entertainment and marketing. This leads to HFSS foods being perceived as ‘fun’ or ‘cool’, driven by celebrity endorsements and packaging.Calling the current scenario an obesogenic environment, Dr Subba Rao pointed to the combined impact of aggressive marketing, easy availability of unhealthy foods, and limited access to nutritious alternatives. He also raised concerns over corporate presence in schools through sponsored events. “While India has some restrictions, stronger regulations are needed. Our InfoLit tool shows that awareness alone does not translate into healthy choices,” he added.Under LFOF, policy briefs have been developed, along with a nutrition literacy curriculum for schools and a comic booklet to simplify food labelling. Around 150–200 adolescent nutrition ambassadors have also been trained to promote awareness.Dr Bharati Kulkarni, director of NIN, said, “This evidence-based, multi-sector initiative combines research, policy, and youth engagement to create healthier food environments and empower adolescents to take charge of their health.”
