Indians May Need to Cut Salt-Sugar-Fat From Diet to Avoid Non-Communicable Diseases

India’s crippling second wave of Covid-19 may be getting all of the attention now, but it is critical that we do not overlook the silent but deadly killer that has emerged as the leading cause of death over the last two decades. Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India along with the Nutrition Advocacy in Public Interest, Epidemiological Foundation of India and Pediatrics and Adolescent Nutrition Society organised a webinar to discuss the importance of a strong Nutrient Profile Model to guide consumption of processed and ultra-processed food in India. Stressing on the importance of acting swiftly but not deviating from the science that informs the setting of these thresholds, global expert Professor Carlos A. Monteiro, Professor of Nutrition and Public Health at the School of Public Health, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, and who heads the Center for Epidemiological Studies in Health and Nutrition, said, “NPMs are frameworks developed after much research and field level studies by the WHO and experts from all over the world.” Prof Monteiro who was instrumental in developing the NOVA classification and the NPM model for Latin America, considered a best practice in grouping processed food, further added, “The WHO SEARO model was put together in consultation with member countries in the region and is perfectly aligned to the Codex Alimentarius or food code. Dr. Arun Gupta, Convenor, Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India warned that this exponential growth of the “junk” or processed food industry has left an indelible mark on the health of Indians. An NPM that is able to adequately distinguish between healthy and unhealthy foods can guide all food and nutrition regulatory policies, particularly related to correctly identifying foods with excessive amounts of potentially harmful nutrients such as sugar, fats and sodium, and help people make good food choices during these challenging times” The path to adopting scientific limits on these anti-nutrients will not be easy, warns Mr Keshav Desiraju, former Health Secretary of India.