Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on September 5, 2019 launched the Eat Right India Movement of FSSAI, with “Eat Right, Stay Fit, Tabhi India Super Fit” slogan.
- It is a new healthy eating approach which places citizens at the centre of a Health Revolution through food and fitness.
About the campaign
- The campaign ‘Eat Right India’ with its new logo and tagline ‘Sahi Bhojan. Behtar Jeevan’ were released by the Health Minister, at an event on the side-lines of the 5-day ‘72nd Session of the WHO Regional Committee for South-East Asia’.
- It is part of the vision of the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, that the month of September is being celebrated all across the country as “Poshan Maah” (Nutrition Month) to sensitize the public towards healthy eating, address the twin issues of malnutrition/undernutrition and problem of obesity in some sections of the population, and also intensifying the campaign towards a ‘Malnutrition-Free India’.
- This movement is aligned with the Government’s flagship public health programmes such as POSHAN Abhiyaan, Ayushman Bharat Yojana and Swachh Bharat Mission to lead us to the New India, which our Prime Minister wishes to deliver to all citizens by 2022.
- The Eat Right India movement is a crucial trigger for the much needed social and behavioural change.
Measures
- Outlining the measures taken by the Government for escalating the Eat Right movement, Dr Harsh Vardhan stated that the Government has prescribed a limit for Total Polar Compounds (TPC) at 25% in cooking oil to avoid the harmful effects of reused cooking oil.
- Standards for five fortified staples -wheat flour, rice, oil, milk and salt to reduce large-scale deficiencies of vitamins and minerals have been notified, in addition to standards for health supplements, nutraceuticals, prebiotics and probiotics products.
- To facilitate informed consumer choices Regulations on Advertising and Claims and mandatory menu labeling has been notified.
- In addition, labeling provisions have been made for appropriate use of sweeteners for children and pregnant women.
- To reach the target of Trans-fat Free India by 2022, regulations to reduce trans-fat to less than 2% in all oils, fats and food products are in place.
- FoSTaC initiative: Food businesses have participated in large-scale training and capacity building programs on ensuring food safety through the FoSTaC initiative, under which over 1.7 lakh food safety supervisors have been trained and certified.
