Child Nutrition

The government should 'carefully regulate' sugar content in infant food products as well as conduct a minimum number of annual inspections, a Parliamentary panel said on Thursday. The raft of suggestions from the panel comes against the backdrop of concerns in certain quarters about the quality and sugar content in infant food products, which are generally considered as a supplement to breast milk. The committee has asked the government to conduct periodic scientific review of the sugar threshold limit in infant nutrition. It also directed the food regulator to accord 'priority enforcement status' for infant and baby food products, with a defined minimum percentage of annual inspections and sampling reserved for this segment. A Standing Committee on Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution has presented a report on 'Regulation of Packaged Commodities with Specific Reference to Sugar Content in Baby Products and other Food Products' in Parliament. "The Committee note that in

Growing cases of food allergies in children are worrying parents as doctors warn that early recognition of symptoms, timely diagnosis and correct feeding practices can reduce serious health risks and

Highlighting rising childhood obesity and undernutrition, WHO is calling on schools worldwide to adopt stronger nutrition standards and create healthier food environments

A new study finds blueberry powder in early diets helps infants develop healthier guts, stronger immunity and fewer allergy symptoms during growth stages

To truly unlock India's productivity and economic potential, we must address challenges around maternal nutrition

Bihar reported the highest share of stunted and underweight children, followed by Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and Maharashtra

India has made progress in reducing maternal and child deaths, with SRS 2021 data showing declines in MMR, IMR, U5MR and NMR-and improving sex ratio, TFR, and SDG alignment

Reckitt's quarterly like-for-like net sales fell 0.5 per cent, ahead of the 1.7 per cent decline analysts had expected in a company-supplied poll

Women and Child Development Minister Annapurna Devi has urged the states and Union Territories to leverage the schemes of the ministry to focus on the nutrition and safety of women and children. Devi made the appeal on Saturday during a meeting with the ministers of women and child development and social welfare departments from various states as well as the administrators and lieutenant governors of Union Territories. To ensure their effective implementation, all major programmes of the ministry have been classified under three umbrella schemes -- Mission Poshan 2.0, Mission Vatsalya, and Mission Shakti. During the meeting, Devi emphasised the importance of collective efforts and strategic planning to enhance the effectiveness of the three schemes. She said the focus should be on the three verticals and sought regular reports from the states on them. "Our objective is to ensure that the benefits of our efforts reach the grassroots level. It is essential to work in collaboration w

Many instances of mumps have been reported in India, including Delhi-NCR area, Maharashtra, Telangana. Mumps is a viral disease spread via direct contact or airborne droplets

Redseer expects the market to grow at 14% CAGR to reach $60bn size by 2027 from $31 bn in 2022

The amendment has been done on the recommendations of an inter-ministerial committee

Students of government schools in Uttar Pradesh may soon be served millets in the mid-day meals at least once a week to provide them with better nutrition. The year 2023 has been designated as the 'International Year of Millets' after a proposal for the same was brought forward by the Government of India and endorsed by members of FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation) Governing Bodies, as well as by the 75th session of the UN General Assembly. Director General School Education in Uttar Pradesh Vijay Kiran Anand said, "We will soon have a meeting with Union government officials regarding the introduction of millets in mid-day meals." The Mid Day Meal Authority of Uttar Pradesh, responsible for providing mid-day meals in government and aided schools from class 1 to 8, has proposed to the Union government that students in 1.42 lakh schools across the state be served a millet-based meal. According to the plan, students will either be served chapatis or khichdi made of bajra in mid-da

Commission says it is acting after complaint against the Indian arm of USA's Mondelez

On International Women's Day 2023, know about Anganwadi workers, the women who work tirelessly to make sure that the nation's children and women receive support for their nutrition and health

The guidelines of the restructured scheme, Saksham Anganwadi and POSHAN 2.0, are still being worked out and POSHAN 2.0 has not yet been approved, an RTI response revealed

With half the children under five in India being malnourished, the present Covid-19 crisis could further impact child nutrition and service delivery across the country, said UNICEF

The supplementary nutrition programme and the Poshan Abhiyaan has been merged to launch Mission Poshan 2.0 to strengthen nutritional content, delivery, outreach, and outcome

On the positive side, fewer women in 15 of the 22 states and union territories (UTs) for which data were released reported that they experienced marital violence compared to 2015-16

Here's a selection of Business Standard opinion pieces for the day