Make nutrition core Curriculum to curb India’s dual health burden

Schools may hold the key to tackling India’s growing nutrition crisis—from persistent malnutrition to rising lifestyle diseases—with experts now pushing to make nutrition education a core part of everyday learning.

At the third edition of the Nutrition Conclave, hosted by the Nourishing Schools Foundation in New Delhi, policymakers, educators, and industry leaders called for integrating nutrition literacy into school systems. They argued that early awareness can significantly influence lifelong health outcomes. The conversation comes at a time when India faces a dual burden: undernutrition in many regions and increasing cases of obesity, diabetes, and other metabolic disorders, often beginning at younger ages.

Speakers noted that while national programmes such as Poshan Abhiyaan, PM Poshan, and the School Health and Wellness Programme under Ayushman Bharat have expanded access to food and health services, there is now a clear need to go beyond access and focus on behaviour change.

“India needs to re-establish its elemental connection with food,” said Arti Ahuja, former Secretary to the Government of India, stressing that nutrition policy must move towards a more holistic, multi-sectoral approach. “Efforts across the food system must converge into something concrete and actionable.” At the heart of the discussion was a simple idea: children who understand nutrition early are more likely to make healthier choices—not just for themselves, but within their families and communities.

Archana Sinha, Co-founder and CEO of the Nourishing Schools Foundation, highlighted this long-term impact. “The food choices children make tomorrow will be shaped by what they learn today. Schools are where this change can begin,” she said.