About 15 million Indian children, i.e. 15% of Indian children are obese. That is the second highest number after China. Meanwhile, over 45 million children in India are stunted or underdeveloped, which is a third of all stunted children worldwide. In India, almost half of all deaths among children under 5 are a result of under nutrition.
It is also a fact that many children and youths consume packaged food on a daily basis. The World Health Organisation (WHO) considers that front-of-pack labelling (FOPL) is a form of supplementary nutrition information which serves as an important policy implementation tool to promote healthy diets through facilitating the consumers understanding of the nutritional values of the food and making healthier food choices and drive reformulation by the food industry.
Given the gravity of situation, the People's Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR) is continuously advocating for the adoption of evidence-based nutrition standards and consumer friendly warning labels on all processed and packaged foods and drinks as per WHO standards in order to ensure a healthy future for children in India. PVCHR Founder and Convener, Dr. Lenin Raghuvanshi, wrote to Chairman and Members of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in case no. 4227/90/0/2021 requesting a simple, explanatory and mandatory Front-of-Pack Label (FOPL) as per WHO standards so that the complete information about the contents is printed in front, not on the back of the packet.
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GoI needs to constitute the FOPL regulations as per WHO standards - National Herald
