On Thursday the Union Health Ministry informed that the economic cost of food-borne diseases in India is estimated to be a whopping USD 15 billion.
The government said, while wasting (21 per cent), underweighting (36 per cent), stunting (38 per cent) are common among children and at least 50 per cent of women and children suffering from anaemia.
The Centre informed that the prevalence of obesity has doubled in the decade (2005-2015) from 9.3 per cent to 18.6 per cent among males and from 12.6 per cent to 20.7 per cent among females with a corresponding rise in deaths due to Non- Communicable Diseases (NCDs).
Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan chaired an inter-ministerial meeting with the Food Safety Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) to achieve ‘vision 2050’ of the ‘Eat Right India’ Movement.
Today, I chaired, via VC, the Inter-Ministerial Consultation on the internationally recognised ‘Food Vision’ by @fssaiindia.
The engagement was convened to synchronise efforts of all Govt Ministries to turn this vision into a reality.@MoHFW_INDIA @PMOIndia pic.twitter.com/jRuOyn2TD6
— Dr Harsh Vardhan (@drharshvardhan) October 15, 2020
Dr Vardhan, taking note of the alarming statistics, said, “‘Eat Right India’ and ‘Fit India’ Movement will prove to be game-changers in the health sector of the country. The results will be visible for all of us in the coming ten years.
A systems-based approach can ensure food safety along with their secure availability, promoting a healthy diet along with taking care of the environment through sustainable practices.”
#EatRightIndia@drharshvardhan chairs Inter-ministerial Meeting to boost
‘Whole of Government’ approach for @fssaiindia‘s #Vision2050.“#EatRightIndia and #FitIndiaMovement will be the game changers, and show results in the next ten years.”https://t.co/TClASdwggY pic.twitter.com/u80440RiD5
— Ministry of Health (@MoHFW_INDIA) October 15, 2020
Noting that 50 per cent of India’s 1.3 billion does not meet the Recommended Dietary Allowance for critical micronutrients; the Health Minister championed the move for an approach of ‘Food Security to Nutrition Security’.
“The different Ministries can make critical interventions in primary production, food processing, their regulation with respect to wastage and issues of hygiene and end-consumption. Only then will ‘Eat Right India’ become a movement in its true sense,” he added