Eat Right India Movement at HWCS (Chandigarh)

Problem Statement

‘Eat Right India’ Movement, an initiative undertaken at Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs) to spread awareness amongst the public regarding the importance of consuming safe and healthy foods to curb food borne diseases and enable them to adopt a healthy lifestyle.

Programme Description

Various awareness activities for the public regarding importance of eating healthy and safe food in collaboration with The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) were undertaken at the HWCs. Workshops for testing food items for detection of food adulteration, organising seminars, importance of fortified foods and harmful effects of high intake of sugar, salt and oil and testing of food items brought by community members from their homes to check for adulteration through a food testing van stationed at all HWCs. In order to strengthen the HWCs with dental and AYUSH screening services, RBSK and RKSK programme has been re-structured wherein the dental surgeons and AYUSH doctors have been stationed at all HWCs. This would also require skill building of primary health care team in understanding the importance of eating safe and healthy and enabling an identified health worker to undertake food adulteration activities at HWCs in collaboration with FSSAI.

Programme Outcomes

Presence of a full-fledged, pro-active operational Food Safety Cell comprising of staff adequately trained in food adulteration and well-equipped mobile food sampling van available at HWCs as per roster for ascertaining adulteration in food items has resulted in an increase in number of food samples received for testing in mobile testing van from 10-20 food samples to 110-120 after collaboration with HWCs. The success is documented with the number of queries being received from the residents regarding checking of adulteration of food articles. This has also resulted in an increase in community participation in creating awareness and people practising healthy eating habits.

Scalability

Using PHC teams at HWCs has the potential to scale this effort in other states as HWCs become operational.

Implementation Partners

National Health Mission, Chandigarh in collaboration with FSSAI.

Financial Implications

Activities carried out by Food Safety Cell.

Source : We Care Coffee Table Book - Good, Replicable and Innovative Practices 2019