Overview

• In his Independence Day address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned of a looming obesity crisis and urged every household to cut cooking oil purchases and usage by 10%.
• The Union Health Ministry and FSSAI have begun rolling out 'oil and sugar' display boards in schools, offices and public institutions to raise awareness of hidden dietary fats and sugars.
• The Central Board of Secondary Education has directed its schools to set up 'sugar boards' to educate students about excessive sugar intake and associated health risks.
• Recent data from NFHS-5, a 2023 ICMR-MDRF survey and a 2025 Lancet study project that up to one in three Indians could become obese in coming years, underscoring the urgency of action.
• Public-health experts warn that visual nudges alone may have limited reach and call for complementary measures such as robust front-of-pack labelling, taxes on HFSS foods and affordability interventions to ensure lasting dietary change.