Last week, Unicef released its Child Nutrition Report 2025, 'Feeding Profit: How Food Environments are Failing Children'. It finds that obesity has overtaken being underweight as the prevalent form of malnutrition - caused not only by not having enough to eat, but also by not eating enough of the right things - among children. The surge in obesity is more pronounced in low- and middle-income countries, with India no exception. In fact, left unchecked, India will account for 11% of the world's obesity burden by 2030.

India's obesity bulge has come with economic and market growth. Attractively packaged, aggressively marketed and easily accessible ultra-processed high fat- and sugar-content food are pushing traditional diets, fruit and veggies off children's plates. Economic Survey 2024-25, too, points at growing sales of ultra-processed foods as the key driver of this menace. Rising food costs, particularly of fruit and vegetables, high oil and sugar street food/fast-food culture, and sedentary behaviour among youngsters have only hastened the process.

GoI has sought to increase focus on nutrition and increasing physical activity among this young demographic. It must also focus on measures and policies that shape the food environment. This must include better food labelling, food marketing restrictions (limiting access to children), ensuring some foodstuff are not sold in schools or included in midday meal programmes. Reworking food subsidies that reduce cost of ingredients key to the ultra-processed food industry is another important measure. Without proactive efforts to signal for more nutritious eating, India will be confronted with an unhealthy, unfit for purpose future that could jeopardise any 'demographic dividends'.