AN IDEA WHOSE TIME HAS COME: SMALLER FOOD PORTIONS

individual eats, which in most cases will reduce food wastage.

The related ministries were quick to add their support and talk about guidelines to do so. As of now this has largely been directed towards commercial restaurants and hotel industry.

The content and coverage of the prospective guideline for curtailing food portions should be integrated into the food and nutrition policy of the nation - how will we define portion size and how will we monitor it?

Controlling portion sizes will have the obvious benefit of preventing food wastage, but it may also help to rationalise intake at a time when obesityrelated chronic diseases are the number one killer.

The World Health Organisation projects that more than two thirds of the global population will become overweight or obese by 2020 if corrective, evidence-based measures are not urgently sought and put in place.

Worldwide, experts have deliberated and unanimously agreed that overweight-obesity is a complex problem and will need multiple participatory approaches, including awareness building, behaviour change strategies, community interventions, nutrition counselling, improving access to high quality local produce of whole grains, fruits and vegetables, taxation policies for ultra-processed junk foods and sugar sweetened beverages.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) convened a panel in 2015, of which I was a member, which prepared guidelines to tackle the problem of high fats, sugar and salt in our foods (currently put out for public review and comments).

In a country where being overweight is still seen as ‘chubby’ or a sign of prosperity, awareness building and behaviour change interventions are needed. Practices change only when people understand the consequences of this rising menace among our children and population at large. The proposal to control portion sizes is commendable and, if implemented, can go a long way in attaining food security and improving public health in India.

We must think creatively and urgently to convert the tons of extra food into safe nutritious forms to feed those who may need it. Systems must be put in place that collect and process the extra food from big and small establishments. Recognising individual responsibility in buying ingredients, preparing required amounts, serving small portions in platters, avoiding over feeding ourselves and our children may go a long way in saving food wastage.