Stakeholder Consultation on Children’s Nutrition rights through Package food Labelling
v
Stakeholder
Consultation on
Children’s
Nutrition rights through Package food Labelling
&
Launch
of
PIPAL (People’s Initiative for Participatory Action on food
Labelling) Network
Date:
5th October 2021 Time: 4:00 pm onward with High Tea
Venue:
Hotel Diamond, Bhelupur Varanasi,
Organized
By
People’s
Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR), Foundation of Sustainable
Development India and Savitri Bai Phule Mahila Panchayat
And
Supported
by
Campaign
against Child Labour (CACL), Asha Trust and Bunkar Dastakar Adhikar Manch
Background & Context:
The Stakeholder Consultation on Children’s right to
Nutrition through package food labelling aims to improve National standards on
nutrition and highlights Front-of-Pack Labelling (FoPL) as a way to create enabling
environments where parents as consumers are able to make better informed,
healthier food choices for themselves and their children. Poor diet is
responsible for more deaths worldwide than any other risk factor, and is a
leading cause of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Global
estimates suggest that almost 2.3 billion children and adults are overweight.
The growing availability of ultra-processed foods, which contain high levels of
sugars, sodium, saturated fats and refined carbohydrates, is a key contributor
to the current obesity epidemic.
It was found that
processed food accounts for nearly 10% of the average total caloric intake in
both rural and urban India. Urban households in the highest income group
consume almost 30% of their total daily calories from processed food. The
Burden of Packaged Food on Schoolchildren based on Centre for Science and
Environment (CSE) survey Know your Diet Study (2017) found that 53%
children consumed salted packaged food such as chips and instant noodles at an
average of over twice a week. About 56% children consumed sweet packaged food
such as chocolates and ice creams at an average of over twice a week. 49%
children consumed sugar-sweetened packaged beverages at an average of over
twice a week. Sedentary lifestyles, unhealthy food choices, including
increasing consumption of pre-packaged food among adults and children has
increased the rate of Obesity and Non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
On the other hand, recognizing the vulnerability, the Constitution of India, adopted
in 1950, guarantees Children certain fundamental rights which includes right to
basic needs like proper healthcare, education and good nutrition. Further,
United Nation through
convention on Child Rights, recognized 12 sets of rights for children which
most of the national governments across the globe accepted and included in
their laws and policies. UNCRC believes
good nutrition and healthy food as fundamental rights and urges the national government across the globe, to include
nutrition goals in National
Programmes of Action for protection of Child
rights enshrined in the convention[1]. Similarly, the
Government of India through its flagship nutrition programme the Prime Minister’s Overarching Scheme for Holistic
Nutrition (POSHAN) Abhiyaan
or National Nutrition Mission aim to improve nutritional outcomes for children,
pregnant women and lactating mothers[2]. The National Commission for Protection of Child Right formed
through act in 2005, also vouched for protecting children’s right including
right to basic needs which include healthy food and good nutrition.
India is one of
the global leaders in the food and beverage industry. India ranks among the top
five markets for Processed packaged food in the world, and the second largest
in Asia, with a sales volume of 34 million tons. It is predicted that by the
year 2020, packaged food sales will reach 47 million tonnes. As per the
forecasts of Euromonitor, India is set to emerge as the third largest market
for packaged food in the world by 2020, after China and the United States.
Factors like increase in per capita income, globalization, lower prices,
evolving preferences and beliefs of the consumer and rapid urbanization have
resulted in changes in diet patterns of the consumer and increase in acceptance
of processed and pre-packaged foods and beverages.
A Front of Packet Labelling (FOPL) regulation in
India should be;
1.
Empowering consumers, including
parents, with accurate information in the most lucid way and making consumers
aware of food products that are high in fat, sugar and salt content.
2.
Comprise an underpinning nutrient
profile model that limits high consumption of salt, sugar and fat through
packaged food, thereby ensuring health and nutrition rights of the children
protected.
Set in this context, PVHCR, Foundation
of Sustainable Development India and Savitri Bai Phule Mahila Panchayat with active
support of Campaign Against Child Labour (CACL), ASHA Trust and Bunkar
Dastakar Adhikar Manch, are organising Public
Consultation with relevant and
important stakeholders including grassroot civil society organizations; citizen
groups; health, Women & child right advocates; policy think-tank; faith
leaders; medical professionals; nutrition scientists & activities; and
members of press on October 5,
2021 at Hotel Diamond, Bhelupura, Varanasi
to raise awareness on growing prevalence of childhood obesity and NCDs in
vulnerable and marginalized groups of the society particularly children, women,
youths, Dalits and minorities.
Expectation from Stakeholder
consultation:
Since FOPL is a very new issue confronting the
health and nutritional rights of children, pregnant women and lactating mothers
and has its importance in realization of fundamental rights of vulnerable and
marginalized section of the society, it become critical that relevant stakeholders
working to safeguard rights of children and other vulnerable groups are
sensitized on the need for national nutrition standards and FOPL as a Food
Policy instrument for protection of the
right of marginalized and vulnerable for health and nutrition.
Further, we are also looking forward to see this
consultation may become a platform for mobilizing and amplifying mothers’
voices for safeguarding their children from ill-effects of ultra-processed
package food and consensus emerge on need of strong scientific FOPL based on
global best practices endorse by Indian health experts.
We are proposing to initiate network of mass
movement and grassroot organization to initiate a national campaign to create
public awareness on Nutrition standards and FOPL Nutrition standards and
mobilize voices and opinions in favour of safeguarding the health &
nutritional interest of women, children and other marginalized groups in India.
We propose “PIPAL (People’s Initiative for Participatory Action on
food Labelling) as people’s network of like-minded civil society organization, civil rights, consumer rights
and health rights advocates. As Pipal tree ensure the well-being of entire village
and its resident, this network “PIPAL” also work toward ensuring the health
& nutritional rights of women children and other marginalized groups in
India through better knowledge & information sharing, learning from global
best practices and engage to innovate pragmatic solutions which serve everyone’
interest.
Communication Message:
1. To address growing burden of NCDs
and obesity among children, youth, women and other social & economically
marginalized groups, various grassroot organizations and mass movement are
coming together to launch public awareness campaign to demand stronger National
Nutrition standards and scientific evidence-based Front of Packet Labelling
(FOPL) for safeguarding health and nutrition rights of children and other
vulnerable groups.
2. Launch of national network “PIPAL
(People’s Initiative for Participatory Action on food Labelling)” for ensuring information rights
for consumers and parents for healthier food choices. This is people’s
network of like-minded civil society organization, civil rights, consumer
rights and health rights advocates.
3. Faith leaders
are coming together to support the demands of mother for scientific evidence-based Front
of Packet Labelling (FOPL) for safeguarding health and nutrition rights of
children and youths.
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