Primacy of health

A nutrition-conscious India is key to reaping advantages of our demographic dividend

Enough has been discussed about India on the cusp of economic transformation and “demographic dividend” being an advantage. While a high proportion of young population in the demographic mix has the potential to boost productivity and spur economic growth, the basic question is how far are we able to achieve this quickly and efficiently? The answer largely depends on how healthy and nutrition-ready is this demographic.

Look at the extremes; billionaires at one end and hidden hunger at the other. India has the highest number of children stunted due to malnutrition at 48.2 million, as per the latest global report titled “Stolen Childhoods” 2017 by Save The Children.

Malnutrition impacts the society, in terms of health costs, lost human capital and reduced economic productivity. Hidden hunger impairs physical growth and limits productivity, perpetuating poverty in a continuous cycle. It is estimated that economic costs of all forms of micronutrient deficiency can reduce GDP growth by 1 to 2 per cent. And there is this realisation, as micro-nutrient deficiency has been explicitly called out in the National Health Policy released this March (revised after 15 years). We need a solution-oriented approach to get India nutrition ready.

Education and self-reliance

Malnutrition or hidden hunger is class-agnostic. Weak basic health and education services can affect behaviour, which also plays a big role in the onset of malnutrition. For mothers not knowing the causes of malnutrition, education at the supplementary feeding centres reduces the chances of children relapsing into malnutrition, offering hope that knowledge will be passed on to future generations.

Given the alarming rate of malnourishment, linking ICDS with the government’s Early Childhood Care and Education policy can help improve targeting and last-mile delivery.

Apart from prioritising education outreach, building nutritional self-reliance would empower individuals and communities to make good decisions relating to their nutrition. One must establish science-based standards for foods and increase collaboration with industry. To incentivise healthier food choices, PPP model is the way. The investment commitment of $11.25 billion from the private sector at World Food India (WFI) highlights that companies are enthused to take a comprehensive approach to product innovation, wider access and consumer education.

Scale for efficiency

Addressing malnutrition will save lives, reduce inequalities and build resilience. There is a lot of scope for projects that can reduce cost and generate value for end beneficiary. Foundations like Akshaya Patra are working on innovative malnutrition initiatives which work on economy of scale.

Role of fortification

 

As India’s nutrition challenges call for urgent action, food fortification will help people get the recommended levels of micronutrients. Fortification can be particularly successful in ensuring faster, more inclusive and sustainable growth. Massification of fortified food can help drive access even if at a low margin. As aptly said by Prime Minister Modi at WFI, food processing holds solutions to nutrition security in India and holds potential in areas such as fortified food.

Measuring impact

Our intervention in addressing malnutrition, micronutrient deficiency and stunting will not only improve access to nutrition, but also behove other areas of development (education, health and decreases in maternal morbidity).

This allows for broader application, increased capacity in measuring across sectors and feasibility in their application at levels.

Way forward

To sustainably tackle the underlying causes of malnutrition and stunting will require a multi-sector approach at the national and state levels. This is also an opportunity for a meaningful partnership between corporates and the government to scale this up.

The industry must complement government initiatives to tackle malnutrition by involving human resource, R&D, capacity building and investment. Let’s collaborate, with an action-oriented and measurable plan to tackle this issue and take benefit of our demographic advantage and be the socioeconomic superpower. Only then will one be able to hitch the wagon to a star.