National Nutrition Week ends

Office-bearers and activists of various social and constitutional organisations vowed to launch a coordinated campaign to spread awareness about the causes and consequences of malnutrition and under-nutrition among growing children and women.

An oath was taken during the concluding session of a meeting held here to review the outcome of observance of the National Nutrition Week, which concluded on Saturday.

The convener of the event, assistant governor elect Surinder Pal Sofat, said enthusiasts led by the past district governor, Amjad Ali, had announced to continue the campaign to spread awareness about the causes and consequences of malnutrition and under-nutrition as a regular feature.

“Having organised workshops and seminars on the subject during the National Nutrition Week, senior functionaries of the district Rotary International led by the district governor, Sandeep Chauhan, have decided to make the awareness campaign a regular feature,” said Sofat. He said imparting knowledge about easily available components of a balanced diet would help solve the problem of malnutrition and under-nutrition in the country.

Sofat appreciated the efforts put into the events held under the supervision of the president, Venu Gopal Sharma, the president-elect, Bipan Sethi, the secretary, Ashok Verma and the assistant governor, HS Ranu, at various places. He claimed myths about the correlation of nutritious values of various food items with cost and processing were removed from the minds of common people. He said children, youth and women agreed to change lifestyle and eating habits after being updated about various aspects of healthy food habits.

Sofat acknowledged office bearers of certain outfits, including subject experts and dieticians, had consented to associate with the campaign.

He said alarming proportions of stunted growth in children, anaemia among mothers causing malnutrition among their children, and defective cooking and food processing practices were cited among factors that prompted the organisers to continue the campaign beyond the National Nutrition Week.

The Ministry of Women and Children Development, Government of India, was responsible for observing National Nutrition Week annually from September 1 to September 7.

‘Balanced Diet for Everyone’ the theme for 2024 emphasised the gender specific need for a balanced diet across all age groups, recognising that nutritional needs vary throughout life. A balanced diet was essential for maintaining good health, preventing diseases and promoting overall wellbeing, stressed the organisers.