International research team maps food policies in South Asia to combat diet-related NCDs

New Delhi: An international research team, including experts from The George Institute for Global Health, has conducted a comprehensive study mapping food policies across Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. This initiative aims to combat the rising tide of diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in South Asia.

Non-communicable diseases like Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular conditions are prevalent among South Asians, exacerbated by unhealthy dietary habits. The prevalence of diabetes in South Asia is projected to be about 151 million by 2045. The research, published in The Lancet Regional Health – Southeast Asia, highlights the urgent need for robust food policies to promote healthier eating choices and reduce NCD prevalence.

Led by researchers from academic and governmental institutions spanning the UK, Belgium, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and India, the study assessed the implementation levels of existing food policies in South Asian countries.

Dr. Elisa Pineda, a Research Fellow at The George Institute for Global Health, emphasized, “The findings of this study provide a baseline for future assessments to measure progress in food policy implementation. The creation of an evidence document for each country serves as a valuable resource for both government and non-government sectors to review policy gaps and the stakeholder-recommended actions give a clear pathway to improving school food environments and regulating the promotion of unhealthy foods high in saturated fats, sugar, and salt.”

Key recommendations from the study include implementing clear and informative food labelling to aid consumers in making healthier choices, introducing fiscal policies such as taxes on unhealthy foods and subsidies for nutritious options to promote better eating habits, enforcing stricter regulations on the marketing of unhealthy foods, particularly targeting children, and improving nutritional standards in school meal programs to instil healthy eating habits from a young age. These measures are essential to create healthier food environments and mitigate the rising burden of diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in South Asia.

Dr. Pineda further stressed, “An effective health-in-all all policy approach and food environment policy implementation requires cross-sectoral collaboration, cultural adaptations, and active engagement with stakeholders to ensure broad acceptance and success.”

Rapid urbanization and economic growth in South Asia are shifting dietary habits towards processed foods high in unhealthy fats, sodium, and sugars. Effective policies promoting healthy food environments are crucial to combat non-communicable diseases (NCDs) by encouraging nutritious choices. The World Health Organization (WHO) advocates for monitoring national strategies through tools like the Healthy Food Environment Policy Index (Food-EPI). From 2020 to 2022, researchers assessed food policies in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka using the Food-EPI tool, involving stakeholders from government and non-governmental sectors.

The research, funded by the UK Government’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and supported by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), aims to foster collaborative efforts among policymakers, stakeholders, and communities to achieve comprehensive policy implementation.