India for the first time will conduct a national survey on the dietary pattern of its population that will help in making health and food related policies.
“We are conducting a Indian Food Basket survey, which will be carried out by the National Institute of Nutrition in Hyderabad. This is the first time we are trying to find out what Indians are consuming,” Rita Teaotia, Joint Secretary in the Department of Health and Family Welfare said here on Thursday.
Speaking at the two-day National Workshop on Recent Advances in Nutrition, Micronutrient Deficiency, Diet Related Chronic on-Communicable Disorders and Promotion of Healthy Lifestyles, she said the year long programme, which is being designed at the moment, will help in forming health and food policies.
“We don’t have any national surveys on food habits, though there have been regional surveys, which are on a small scale,” she told PTI.
She said the survey is linked to another survey, which will see the pesticide residue in the food.
“We will also try to check the pesticide level in food items consumed by different people in different regions. This survey will be carried out later, but is linked to the national survey that will guide us,” she said.