Centre asks states to reduce sugar, salt in school meals to counter obesity

Mint

15-07-2025

New Delhi: Concerned over rising cases of child obesity in India, the Centre has asked states and Union territories to reduce added sugar, salt, preservatives, colors, and other synthetic ingredients in meals provided in government schools, and Anganwadi centres, an official aware of the matter said.
An Anganwadi is a rural child-care centre, started by the government in 1975 and tasked with providing basic healthcare services in villages and combatting child hunger and malnutrition.
The directive from the Women and Child Development ministry is aimed at tackling India's growing obesity, particularly among young children.
The directive from the Union women and child development ministry assumes significance given that 118 million children get free lunches under the Mid-day Meal Scheme, or PM POSHAN (Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman), while Anganwadi centres cater to around 106.9 million beneficiaries including young children, pregnant women, and lactating mothers.
The government's instructions to lower the use of salt, sugar, and synthetic colours in food come in the backdrop of the National Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS-5) stating that one in five Indian urban adults is overweight or obese.
High consumption of sugar and salt can potentially lead to obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, and kidney problems.
According to the 11 July letter issued by the women and child development ministry to all the states and Union territories, the Poshan Tracker portal data for May highlights that 6% of children under five years in Anganwadi centres are already overweight or obese. The letter emphasized promoting healthy lifestyles and dietary practices, with a specific focus on the Take Home Rations (THR) and Hot Cooked Meals (HCM) provided in Anganwadis.
Mint has seen a copy of the letter.
Children aged 0-6 years in 2021 numbered an estimated 161 million, and as per the October 2024 data of Poshan Tracker portal, 88.2 million children were enrolled in Anganwadis, the ministry of women and child development told parliament in December last year.
The directive is part of India's fight against obesity that includes the Centre' plan to roll out a nationwide screening programme for measuring obesity among school children, which will capture waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and their Body Mass Index (BMI), as reported by Mint earlier.
'The government is very serious about obesity. Schools have put the oil and sugar board to sensitise children on what kind of food or snack they are consuming. Similarly, it has decided that meals provided under the POSHAN scheme to the beneficiaries in the government schools and Anganwadi centres must limit oil and sugar. This is also applicable for child care homes,' said the official cited eralier, requesting anonymity.
The new advisory recommends that states and UTs conduct targeted awareness programs for officers, field functionaries, Anganwadi workers, and the broader community. A key focus of these programs should be to reduce the consumption of edible oils in daily diets, aligning with the Dietary Guidelines for Indians, 2024, issued by the National Institute of Nutrition.
The WCD ministry also suggested the state governments initiating awareness campaigns at all levels to reinforce the objectives of the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NP-NCD).
Queries sent to the women and child development ministry spokesperson remained unanswered till press time.
Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, former director general at Indian Council of Medical Research and ex-chief scientist at the World Health Organisation, said that the main driver of both obesity and under-nutrition is the lack of affordable access to a healthy and nutritious diet, along with lack of awareness about nutritional requirements at different ages.
'Nutrition literacy is very low, with the majority of the population having misconceptions about what is healthy and what is not. We have also lost a great deal of our agro biodiversity over the past few decades and ultra-processed food is replacing freshly cooked balanced meals. Looking ahead, with climate change being an additional risk to food systems, we need to look at the entire value chain - from greater production of healthier cereals, pulses, fruits and vegetables to ensuring greater dietary diversity in our social safety net programs such asPublic Distribution System (PDS), school meals, PM Poshan Abhiyan,' she said.
Dr. Swaminathan also pointed out that budget allocations to these schemes will need to increase to enable better dietary diversity.
Dr. Mohsin Wali, a senior consultant in medicine at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi, points out a troubling trend: a significant portion of the population—between 20% and 30%—don't even perceive being overweight or obese as a problem. They simply see it as normal, he said.
Covid-19 pandemic has worsened this issue, increasing obesity by at least 7%. 'The shift to work from home, coupled with increased consumption of foods high in oil and sugar, has played a major role. Controlling obesity is impossible without regular exercise, yoga, and workouts," he added.
He also highlights the rise of "cloud kitchens," which are popular with children but often offer food high in trans fats. Adding to the concern, schools have cut back on outdoor activities, and children are increasingly glued to screens, leading to a decline in physical activity.
'Rise in stress levels among both children and adults also contribute to a dangerous cycle, as obesity is directly linked to serious health problems like diabetes, increased cardiovascular risk, sudden cardiac deaths, and fatty liver disease,' he said while referring to this cluster of conditions as "metabolic syndrome."
Dr. Wali warns that if this trend isn't brought under control, the current generation of children will face a future of widespread obesity and its associated health crises as adults.