🟠 Context and Premise

• A recent article in Nature highlighted how overnutrition is surpassing undernutrition as the leading cause of malnutrition in Indian urban areas.
  
  
• Indian cities like Hyderabad are witnessing increased consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs), contributing to rising cases of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like obesity, diabetes, hypertension, etc.
  
  

🟠 Urban India’s Nutrition Crisis

• Dual burden of malnutrition: Co-existence of undernutrition and overnutrition.
  
  
• Overnutrition Trends:
  
  
  • More prevalent in urban populations.
    
    
  • Triggered by higher incomes, sedentary lifestyles, and easy access to UPFs.
    
    
  • Influenced by aggressive marketing, advertising, and misleading food labels.
    
    
• NCD Risks:
  
  
  • Affects productivity and healthcare systems.
    
    
  • Creates a socio-economic burden on the nation.
    
    

🟠 Current Policy and Program Landscape

• National efforts so far:
  
  
  • National Health Policy 2017.
    
    
  • Eat Right Movement by FSSAI.
    
    
  • National Multisectoral Action Plan (NMAP) for NCDs.
    
    
• Shortcomings:
  
  
  • Fragmented approaches with poor inter-sectoral coordination.
    
    
  • Lack of focus on preventive nutrition.
    
    
  • Absence of front-of-pack labelling and clear consumer education on unhealthy food ingredients.
    
    

🟠 Global Lessons: Saudi Arabia Model

• Saudi Arabia imposed a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs).
  
  
• Introduced front-of-pack nutrition labels and limited marketing of junk food.
  
  
• Resulted in:
  
  
  • Decline in SSB consumption.
    
    
  • Increased public awareness.
    
    
  • Successful intersectoral action involving health, education, finance, and media sectors.
    
    

🟠 Recommendations for India

1. Strengthen intersectoral coordination under NMAP.
   
   
2. Implement mandatory front-of-pack labelling on processed foods.
   
   
3. Control junk food marketing, especially targeting children.
   
   
4. Impose fiscal policies (like sugar taxes) on UPFs and SSBs.
   
   
5. Encourage urban food environments to promote healthy choices.
   
   
6. Increase investment in public awareness and school-based nutrition education.
   
   

🟠 Conclusion

• India must shift focus from only addressing undernutrition to also tackling overnutrition, especially in cities.
  
  
• A holistic, rights-based, and evidence-based approach is needed to safeguard urban public health from the rising burden of lifestyle-related diseases.

Practice question:

Q. Rising overnutrition in Indian urban areas presents a new public health challenge. Discuss its implications and suggest policy interventions to address this dual burden of malnutrition.

(10 marks, 150 words)