Building a Healthier India: The Power of Nutrition
‘Illness to Wellness’ Conference Highlights Need for Nutrition Awareness, Food Safety and Community-Level Action for a Healthier Nation
India’s growing emphasis on preventive healthcare is placing nutrition and food safety at the heart of efforts to help citizens stay healthy and reduce the long-term burden of disease, said Shri Rajit Punhani, Chief Executive Officer, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), while addressing the ‘Illness to Wellness’ Conference on Healthy Nutrition for a Healthy Nation.
Speaking on FSSAI’s role in this transition, Shri Punhani highlighted the Authority’s efforts to combine food-safety regulation with consumer education and behavioural nudges. He cited initiatives including Eat Right School, Eat Right Campus and Eat Right Thali, along with consumer awareness campaigns, as part of efforts to encourage informed food choices.
Shri Rajit Punhani said, “There is a clear shift in the public-health landscape towards prevention, and food sits right at the centre of this transition. While ensuring that food is safe, wholesome and compliant remains FSSAI’s fundamental responsibility, empowering consumers with the right information to make informed choices is equally important. Through initiatives such as Eat Right School, Eat Right Campus, Eat Right Thali and consumer awareness campaigns, we are using education, information and behavioural nudges to make nutrition awareness part of everyday life. This requires collective action, with government, healthcare, academia, civil society, industry and consumers working together to make informed food choices more accessible, affordable and convenient.”
The ‘Illness to Wellness’ Conference on Healthy Nutrition for a Healthy Nation, organised by the Illness to Wellness Foundation, brought together policymakers, healthcare professionals, nutrition experts, educators and representatives from industry and civil society to deliberate on strengthening nutrition awareness, food safety and community-level action.
Mr. Anil Rajput, Chairperson, Advisory Council, Illness to Wellness Foundation, said, “The foundations of a healthy nation are laid much before illness takes a person to the hospital, and nutrition must be at the heart of this transition from illness to wellness. India’s nutrition landscape requires us to look beyond food availability towards nutritional security, ensuring access to food that is safe, affordable, diverse and appropriate to individual needs. It is not out of place to mention that the salt, sugar and fat requirements differ across people, regions and activities. Their needs differ and we must remain mindful of that, while creating awareness in the larger section of society. The way forward lies in promoting awareness based on science, balance, moderation and informed choices. Building a healthier India is a shared responsibility, requiring the collective efforts of government, healthcare professionals, schools, responsible industry, civil society, media and communities.”
Delivering the keynote address, Mr. Rajesh Bhushan, Former Secretary, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India and Chairperson, Governing Council, Illness to Wellness Foundation, said, “Nutrition cannot be addressed through isolated interventions; it requires a life-cycle approach beginning with pregnancy and continuing through the first 1,000 days, early childhood, school years and adulthood. The challenge is not only to create awareness but to translate that awareness into healthy behaviour, particularly in rural and underserved communities. Our frontline health workers, Anganwadi systems and schools provide an important institutional network through which nutrition interventions can reach families at scale. We already have programmes and guidelines in place; the priority now must be effective implementation, continuous monitoring and the use of practical behavioural approaches that help people make healthier choices.”
The inaugural session highlighted the importance of strengthening nutrition outcomes across different stages of life, with discussions covering maternal, child and adolescent nutrition, anaemia and malnutrition, food safety and nutrition standards, safe and nutritious food choices, and the role of different stakeholders in taking national nutrition priorities to the grassroots.
Further, taking the discussion ahead, Dr Zoya Ali Rizvi, Deputy Commissioner, National Health Mission, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, said, “The real impact of nutrition programmes will come from taking information to the grassroots and listening to the needs of communities. Our 10.5 lakh ASHAs and Anganwadi workers are the backbone of this effort, and strengthening communication through their insights can help translate awareness into meaningful action.”
Dr. Sanjay Kumar Mattoo, Joint Commissioner & Additional Deputy Director General, Central TB Division, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, said, “Malnutrition remains one of the biggest health challenges facing our society and has a close bearing on the fight against tuberculosis. Addressing this challenge requires a collective effort from all stakeholders, including the government, healthcare system, media, parents, schools and communities, to strengthen awareness and support effective action against malnutrition and TB.”
The conference also featured three focused sessions that explored the role of nutrition across different stages of life and its linkages with disease prevention and public health.
The first session, “Poshan Jan Andolan: Awareness to Action for Healthier Women, Children and Families,” focused on translating nutrition awareness into sustained action, with discussions around breastfeeding and complementary feeding, anaemia and micronutrient deficiencies, balanced and affordable diets, and the role of technology, media and communities in driving behaviour change.
The session was moderated by Dr. Jitender Nagpal, Senior Consultant, Paediatrics, Sitaram Bhartia Institute of Science and Research, Delhi, and featured insightful perspectives from a distinguished panel comprising Dr. Zoya Ali Rizvi, Deputy Commissioner, National Health Mission, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India; Dr. Manjari Chandra, Founder, Manjari Wellness and Senior Consultant, Nutritional Medicine, Max Healthcare and Everhope Oncology; Dr. Pulkit Mathur, Joint Secretary, Nutrition Society of India and Professor, Department of Food & Nutrition and Food Technology, Lady Irwin College, New Delhi; Dr. Smriti Pahwa, Director - Scale Up, Arogya World; and Dr. Satish Koul, Principal Director & Unit Head - Internal Medicine, Fortis Medical Research Institute (FMRI), Gurugram.
The second session, “Healthy Schools, Healthy Children: Safe Food, Better Nutrition, Brighter Futures,” examined the need for safe and nutritious food environments for children and ways to strengthen the implementation of food and nutrition guidelines at the school level. The discussion covered healthy school canteens, food safety and hygiene, safe food-handling practices, making nutritious choices accessible and appealing to children, and the role of parents in reinforcing healthy eating habits at home.
The session was moderated by Dr. Latika Bhalla, Senior Consultant, Adolescent Paediatrics, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, and brought together participation from Dr. Kumud Khanna, Former Director, Institute of Home Economics, University of Delhi and Former National Vice-President, Nutrition Society of India; Dr. Charu Dua, Chief Clinical Nutritionist, Amrita Hospital, Faridabad; Mrs. Alka Singh, Principal, Air Force Golden Jubilee Institute, New Delhi; Ms. Anjali Malik, Principal, Jaypee Public School, Noida; and Fr. Jose Stephen, Principal, Rosary Senior Secondary School, Kingsway Camp, Delhi.
The third session, “Nourishing Health, Ending Disease: Strengthening Nutrition for a TB- and Anaemia-Mukt Bharat,” focused on the relationship between malnutrition, anaemia and tuberculosis, including early identification and management of anaemia and nutritional deficiencies, nutrition support for TB patients, and improving access to iron, folic acid, protein and micronutrient-rich foods.
The session was moderated by Dr. Preeti Khanna, National Program Manager - Health and Nutrition, Project Concern International (PCI) India, and discussion brought together insights from Dr. Sanjay Kumar Mattoo, Joint Commissioner & Additional Deputy Director General, Central TB Division, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India; Dr. Sukriti Gupta, Senior Consultant, Haematology Oncology & Bone Marrow Transplant Unit, Artemis Hospital; Ms. Ishi Khosla, Member, Advisory Council, Illness to Wellness Foundation and Chief Nutritionist and Founder, Celiac Society of India; Ms. Kalpana Gupta, Clinical Nutritionist - Nutrition and Dietetics, Max Smart Super Speciality Hospital, Saket; and Dr. Rajesh Kesari, Member, Advisory Council, Illness to Wellness Foundation and Member, National Executive Committee, RSSDI.
The conference concluded with a call for continued collaboration among government, healthcare professionals, schools, communities, civil society, responsible industry and other stakeholders.
