Infant and Young Child Nutrition

Infant and Young Child Nutrition which is of utmost importance in the lives of human beings has been focused through intensified information, education and communication and protecting the norms for breastfeeding and complementary feeding at international fora namely Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses, Codex Alimentarius Commission and World Health Assembly.

A land mark decision to protect, promote and support breastfeeding was taken in 54th World Health Assembly in 2001 giving rise to a Global Public Health recommendation for exclusive breastfeeding for first six months of life, complementary feeding with home based safe and nutritious foods to start at six months of age and continued breastfeeding upto the age two years and beyond. This Global Public Health recommendation has honoured India’s traditional wisdom of breastfeeding for first six months and complementary feeding starting thereafter through a ceremony called annaprashan and continuing breastfeeding for more than two years.

The 55th World Health Assembly adopted a Global Strategy on Infant and Young Child Nutrition recognizing the importance of nutrition of women through out their life cycle for ensuring optimum nutrition of the child. The inter-generational cycle of malnutrition perpetuated by the poor nutritional status of the girl child was also recognised. The Food and Nutrition Board had developed National Guidelines on Infant and Young Child Feeding. The Guidelines in Hindi and English have been distributed to various concerned partners like Health and Family Welfare, Medical and Home Science Colleges, Training Institutions for Nutrition and Health, State Departments of WCD and Health, and field infrastructure of FNB and ICDS. The 2nd edition of National Guidelines on Infant and Young Child Feeding was released on 17th May, 2006.

The Chief secretaries and State Secretaries in charge of Women & Child Development were requested to draw up action plans and mobilize the State Machinery for implementation of the Guidelines. The Guidelines are being translated into Regional languages to reach the same to remote corners of the country