Union Min Harsh Vardhan launches 'Eat Right Challenge' promoting healthy diet

Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on August 19, announced an ‘Eat Right Challenge’. The challenge is aimed at strengthening food safety in the states. Reports have suggested that people in the same households may have different responses to COVID-19 based on their immunity acquired through nutrition and therefore promoting a healthy diet can tackle multiple diseases.

Promoting healthy diets

Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan has stated that 61.8 percent of deaths from non-communicable like diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular complications and etc. are related to a person’s faulty diet while several communicable diseases also severely affect those who are malnourished.

The Health Minister added that “196 million are victims of chronic hunger while another 180 million suffer from obesity. 47 million children have stunted growth while another 25 million are wasted. 500 million are deficient in micro-nutrients and 100 million suffer from food-borne diseases.” Harsh Vardhan claimed that an initiative like the ‘Eat Right Challenge’ was the need of the hour for a country like India with a large population of 135 crore people.

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The ‘Eat Right Challenge’ has been initiated by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). The challenge intends to tackle three key themes namely, if it is not safe then it is not food, the food one eats should not only serve the palate but should also be meant for the body and mind implying one adopts a healthy diet and lastly food should be good for us as well as the planet signifying sustainable diets.

The ‘Eat Right Challenge’ is a competition of sorts between participating states and districts in order to recognize the efforts of the participants in adopting various initiatives under Eat Right India. This is also meant to motivate states to improve their own performance and encourage others to join the challenge as well. As an incentive for joining the FSSAI will be providing the first 150 district/cities to join with seed funding to INR 5 lakhs, in addition, there will also be a separate fund for innovative projects proposed by the participants.

(Input Credit ANI)

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