A Roadmap for a Healthier Future: Lessons from Maharashtra’s Junk Food Curbs
In a bid to create a healthier environment for children, the Maharashtra government has enforced stricter norms prohibiting the sale, advertisement, and distribution of high-fat, high-sugar, and high-salt (HFSS) foods within a 50-metre radius of schools. This initiative, launched in collaboration with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is part of the Eat Right School programme aimed at promoting food safety and nutrition education in schools.
A Model for Jammu and Kashmir
The Maharashtra model offers valuable lessons for Jammu and Kashmir, where the incidence of childhood obesity is a growing concern. Public health experts believe that similar interventions in J&K could help address this issue by limiting the availability of HFSS foods in and around schools, promoting healthier school canteens, and encouraging students to carry nutritious food from home. They stress that food outlets operating near schools should be subject to the same standards, requiring coordinated action from the Food Safety Department, School Education Department, local bodies, and school administrations.
The Alarming Rise of Obesity in Jammu and Kashmir
The latest National Family Health Survey (NFHS-6) indicates a sharp increase in overweight and obesity among adults in Jammu and Kashmir, with 42.8 per cent of women and 36.3 per cent of men aged 15-49 classified as overweight or obese. Health professionals warn that the same trend is increasingly being observed among children. According to the Children in India 2025 report, nearly half (50.2 per cent) of children aged 5-9 years in Jammu and Kashmir have elevated triglyceride levels, an early indicator associated with obesity, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular disease.
A Wake-Up Call for Policymakers and Healthcare Professionals
Doctors describe the finding as alarming, noting that elevated triglycerides were once considered a condition affecting middle-aged adults. The fact that such metabolic abnormalities are now being detected in young children should serve as a wake-up call for policymakers and the healthcare system. Medical professionals in Kashmir have repeatedly warned that childhood obesity is no longer an isolated health issue but an emerging public health challenge.
Preventing Obesity: A Timely Intervention
Health experts maintain that preventing obesity must begin early in life. They warn that unless timely preventive measures are introduced in schools and communities, the region could witness a significant increase in early-onset diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and other non-communicable diseases in the coming years. Against this backdrop, Maharashtra’s decision to regulate the food environment around schools offers a practical policy template that Jammu and Kashmir could consider adapting to safeguard children’s long-term health.
A Call to Action
Experts urge the Jammu and Kashmir government to adopt stricter regulations to limit the availability of HFSS foods in and around schools, promote healthier school canteens, and encourage students to carry nutritious food from home. They emphasize that food outlets operating near schools should be subject to the same standards, requiring coordinated action from various departments and stakeholders. By learning from Maharashtra’s experience, Jammu and Kashmir can create a healthier environment for children and prevent the escalating problem of childhood obesity.