‘Food Pharmer’ suggests 3 things he would change as health minister: ‘Warning labels on food packets’

India is grappling with several health concerns, be it heart disease risks or diabetes. This potentially stems from an unaware population suffering from improper dietary habits. Influencer Revant Himatsingka, also known as Food Pharmer on Instagram, is an advocate of wellness and good nutrition and aims to tackle this unawareness problem. He often stresses the importance of making people aware of the misleading nutritional labels on food packets. On Ranveer Allahbadia’s podcast, Revant shared what he would have done as a health minister of India. See the three important strategies he suggested that can help India take a collective step toward being health-conscious.

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Health education in schools

The education system is the bedrock of society’s function. And sadly, health is not a widely covered topic like trigonometry or which war was fought in which year. Revant addressed the need to incorporate health education into the school curriculum. Food Pharmer stated, “We [India] wouldn’t have been the diabetes capital if we were taught from class 1 to 10 or class 12 about health every day.” He stressed it’s important to teach the young population proper dietary habits, starting with the basics like what a calorie is, what protein is, and most importantly, how one should eat properly. In the education system, the focus on health is lacking.

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QR Code as food label

Revant proposed the idea of using a QR code, which, when scanned, shows the same nutritional label in 15 languages. India has multiple languages, and to make any information accessible, it has to be presented in the regional language. It is vital to make information accessible to all. The best understanding happens in the mother language. However, the nutritional labels on food packets in India are mostly in English.

Warning labels on food packets

Lastly, the influencer said that food with high calorie or sugar content needs to carry a warning label, cautioning consumers about the health consequences. It’s akin to the warning labels on cigarette packets about cancer. Such labels could deter people from making unhealthy choices.
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