<p>It has been a month since the Union government issued an advisory asking its ministries, departments, and institutions to put up signboards flagging the ill-effects of fat and sugar in snacks such as samosas, kachoris, pastries and jalebis. </p>.<p>It triggered sharp reactions from political parties, spawned memes on social media, and provoked a flurry of reports, some of them wrongly claiming that the government was mandating warning labels for popular snacks. </p>.<p>This led the Union health ministry to come out with a clarification that the boards would only serve as “behavioural nudges” to alert consumers to unhealthy fats and excess sugar in common food items. The advisory, the ministry said, wasn’t out to target India’s rich street food culture.</p>.<p>The idea of such signboards is welcome, but it stops short of the government actively promoting healthy dietary habits. Walk into railway stations, airports, metro stations, bus terminals and government canteens, frequented by huge numbers of people, and look at their menus. An overwhelming majority of the snacks on offer are processed and high in unhealthy fat, sugar and salt. </p>.<p>Look at their meals and you find carbohydrates, in the form of potatoes and grains, dominating the vegetarian section. In some places, you may find salads, but you soon realise that they are not easy on your pocket. In Rajdhani, Shatabdi and Vande Bharat trains that serve food to passengers, a common breakfast item is the vegetable cutlet, nothing but deep-fried mashed potato. </p>.<p>These are commonplace pictures in a country where obesity is rising sharply, with one in five adults in urban areas being either obese or overweight. By 2050, there will be 50 crore such Indians. While food is always a personal choice, isn’t it the government’s duty to improve the availability of healthy food in public places?</p>.<p>A solution is possible but only if the government stops working in silos. It calls for coordination among multiple departments to work out the right schemes and provide initial support. </p>.<p>Indian dietary guidelines, brought out by the National Institute of Nutrition under the Indian Council of Medical Research, can provide a good idea about healthy foods and snacks. As a bare minimum, if 20-25 shops are selling unhealthy food in a railway or metro station, there should be at least one or two shops offering healthy options. +</p>.<p>Food and culinary institutes may be roped in to provide healthy and tasty snack recipes. If someone wants samosa and jalebi, that is a personal decision. But for others, it is important to have a choice.</p>
<p>It has been a month since the Union government issued an advisory asking its ministries, departments, and institutions to put up signboards flagging the ill-effects of fat and sugar in snacks such as samosas, kachoris, pastries and jalebis. </p>.<p>It triggered sharp reactions from political parties, spawned memes on social media, and provoked a flurry of reports, some of them wrongly claiming that the government was mandating warning labels for popular snacks. </p>.<p>This led the Union health ministry to come out with a clarification that the boards would only serve as “behavioural nudges” to alert consumers to unhealthy fats and excess sugar in common food items. The advisory, the ministry said, wasn’t out to target India’s rich street food culture.</p>.<p>The idea of such signboards is welcome, but it stops short of the government actively promoting healthy dietary habits. Walk into railway stations, airports, metro stations, bus terminals and government canteens, frequented by huge numbers of people, and look at their menus. An overwhelming majority of the snacks on offer are processed and high in unhealthy fat, sugar and salt. </p>.<p>Look at their meals and you find carbohydrates, in the form of potatoes and grains, dominating the vegetarian section. In some places, you may find salads, but you soon realise that they are not easy on your pocket. In Rajdhani, Shatabdi and Vande Bharat trains that serve food to passengers, a common breakfast item is the vegetable cutlet, nothing but deep-fried mashed potato. </p>.<p>These are commonplace pictures in a country where obesity is rising sharply, with one in five adults in urban areas being either obese or overweight. By 2050, there will be 50 crore such Indians. While food is always a personal choice, isn’t it the government’s duty to improve the availability of healthy food in public places?</p>.<p>A solution is possible but only if the government stops working in silos. It calls for coordination among multiple departments to work out the right schemes and provide initial support. </p>.<p>Indian dietary guidelines, brought out by the National Institute of Nutrition under the Indian Council of Medical Research, can provide a good idea about healthy foods and snacks. As a bare minimum, if 20-25 shops are selling unhealthy food in a railway or metro station, there should be at least one or two shops offering healthy options. +</p>.<p>Food and culinary institutes may be roped in to provide healthy and tasty snack recipes. If someone wants samosa and jalebi, that is a personal decision. But for others, it is important to have a choice.</p>
