A Clarion Call for Health: Reducing Salt, Oil, and Processed Food for a Healthier India

In an earnest appeal on World Food Safety Day, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Jagat Prakash Nadda urged Indians to commit to reducing their intake of salt, oil, and processed foods by 10 percent. Emphasizing the need for awareness around healthier eating, Nadda addressed a gathering at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences in Bengaluru.

The minister underscored the importance of revisiting India's traditional food practices, particularly those involving millets, to foster healthier habits. He stressed that adopting these changes permanently, rather than only on World Food Safety Day, is crucial to combating the country's rising obesity rates.

Nadda cited alarming statistics from the ICMR, illustrating a significant increase in obesity from 2008 to 2020. He emphasized that one-third of the population could be obese by 2050, urging immediate action. The event also featured the release of a booklet, 'Eat Right India,' and highlighted the integration of healthy eating into educational curriculums by Sanjay Kumar, Secretary of the Department of School Education and Literacy.

(With inputs from agencies.)