Health Talk: Why CBSE’s move to have sugar boards in schools is healthy

Type 2 diabetes is rising considerably in the Indian population owing largely to bad eating habits and almost zero physical activity

A new Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) directive has asked schools affiliated to it across the country to establish sugar boards that will display information on sugar content in everyday foods, its health risks, and alternatives to sugary snacks and drinks.

There is a clear link between the rise in diabetes cases among children and the easy availability of sugary snacks, soft drinks, and processed foods within school environments. (Representational image)

The board has some 26,000 schools affiliated to it across the country, and the aim behind the move has been to be able to cut down the risk of getting type 2 diabetes.

Why this move makes absolute sense is because type 2 diabetes is rising considerably in the Indian population owing largely to bad eating habits and almost zero physical activity. What is worse is that more children have been turning overweight or obese— a major risk factor for getting type 2 diabetes— lately because of their increased consumption of ultra-processed food items.

Ultra-processed foods include packaged baked goods and snacks, fizzy drinks, sugary cereals, and ready-to-eat or -heat products. They often contain colours, emulsifiers, flavours, and other additives and are typically high in energy, added sugar, saturated fat, and salt, but lack vitamins and fibre.

The study titled ‘Premature Mortality Attributable to Ultraprocessed Food Consumption in 8 Countries’ inferred that ultra-processed food consumption contributes to increased risk of all-cause mortality, with 2.7% corresponding rise in risk with each 10% increase in UPF contribution to total energy intake.

The paper also said that although ultra-processed food consumption remains lower in low- and middle-income countries, there is evidence that the exposure and adherence to an ultra-processed dietary pattern has increased significantly over the last decades.

The evidence before us is more than sufficient to warn us where we are headed; and why this move by CBSE is timely.

“There is a clear link between the rise in diabetes cases among children and the easy availability of sugary snacks, soft drinks, and processed foods within school environments,” CBSE said in a letter to school principals.

There is no denying that awareness needs to start during the formative years; and arming children with adequate information will surely have a desired impact not only in the form of changes they will make to their lifestyle but also among their families in general. We do need to catch them young, if we want our adults, and future generations, to be healthy.