Mass-produced, commercially resold food that places a high value on expediency of service meals served in Take-out or take-away packaging and sold in a restaurant or store containing frozen, warmed, or precooked components
Usually high in saturated fat, sugar, salt and calories
Fast food doesn’t have a long history, but its impact has a long, irreversible future.
The modern fast food history began with Mc Donald introducing the limited menu, high-volume, low-cost, high-speed hamburger restaurant.
America continues to battle with obesity and other lifestyle diseases, without any hope of recovery. The fast food menace has now spread all over the world. And no country has been successful in reversing the impact of bad food choices.
Impact
Fast food adversely affects the Digestive and cardiovascular systems, Respiratory system, Central nervous system, Reproductive system, Integumentary system and the Skeletal system.
Overweight, cardiovascular disorders, heart attacks, and diabetes mellitus are all caused by a diet heavy in saturated fat, calories, and sodium.
The number of obese children and adolescents up by more than ten tenfold – predicted to rise to over 250 million in 2030
Decreased size of hippocampus due to excessive sugar intake, increased risk of dementia, poor academic performance
Fast Food in India: A Disaster in The Making
The advent of fastfood chains have a short history in India. NOW is the time to stop it in its tracks.
It was only in 2000 that Mc Donalds came to India,before others followed. And yet, in less than two decades the business has soared –as has health issues in children and young adults.
Currently, India’s population is among the youngest in an ageing world; 65 percent of Indians are below 35 years of age. By 2030,the average age in India will be 29.7 years, and will continue to have the age advantage for the next three decades This demographic advantage will be lost if urgent policy changes are not made to control the onslaught of fastfood companies.
Children and young adults are the most vulnerable consumers of fast food. A population of unhealthy children spells doom for any nation, particularly India at this point.
From cities to towns and villages, fast food chains are spreading like a social cancer.
Fast food could indeed be a biological war, and it is high time we retaliated with multipronged defence, before our progress is completely dwarfed and mitigated.
The mushrooming of malls, social media propagation, and excessive internet usage too have caused the extensive lure of fast food.
Food Addiction: Slow and sure killer
Salt, fat and sugar laden processed foods are biologically addictive. ALL addictions have common characteristics and similar biochemical basis.
The same pleasure centres in the brain are stimulated by fast food and drugs
Fast food is a gateway drug: the abuse of one ingredient leads to a vicious cycle of cravings.
Addiction is business: food is converted to “drugs” – addictive items that are manipulated to dependency – as a result of dedicated research and investment
Why the Campaign? Healthy Food Habits : Now or Never
India is at a vulnerable juncture of gastronomic warfare.
A massive effort is required from all quarters of our systems to fight the onslaught colossal empires, some of which have budgets more than that of some countries. In the name of mitigating hunger, the vulnerable section of our society id being fed with harmful substances that lead to sure but slow death.
Only the concerted efforts of the government, corporates, educational institutions, non governmental bodies, social leaders and individuals can prevent a dismal future.
Indian Advantage
Food and family continue to be India’s obsessions.
No country in the world can boast of a cuisine kaleidoscope as India can.
The diverse food culture that India has is unparalleled anywhere else in the world. So indeed, the story can be a different one in India.
All is not lost, if we act NOW.
Campaign Objectives
Launch a platform for networking of all like-minded organisations, communities and individuals of India, volunteering campaigns to create awareness on the ill effects of fast food, and the need for regaining the glorious gastronomic tradition of India.
Develop awareness materials (website, books, booklets, posters, social media campaign tools) in English and regional languages, to initiate pan-India campaign.
Identify ambassadors, advisors, master trainers and community leaders to launch pan India campaign.
Lobby for preventing the massive spread of fast food culture in India and promote healthy and locally produced food.
Popularise the recipes of Indian food and soft drinks and spread awareness on its nutritional quality and health benefits
Offer guidance to promoting and expanding the marketing of healthy food
Implementation- Overview
Constitution of a National Advisory Committee
Identification of Ambassadors (Political leaders, film stars, sports stars, medical doctors, scientists, community leaders, etc) for initiating the campaign at national level.
Organise National Level launch at New Delhi, involving experts in the field and ministers
Conduct Regional level workshops with like minded individuals and organizations to brainstorm the best way forward.
Preparation of awareness materials and media campaigns, and influencing young minds with intelligent social penetration.
Identification of State-level partners to volunteer campaigns, besides creating a volunteer work force of enthusiastic young people.
Master Resource Persons Training Programme Campaign and networking
