Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has unleashed its new initiative called Diet4Life to provide wide-ranging services to the patients with Inborn Errors of Metabolism (IEM). The regulators launched this initiative during National Conclave on Nutrition Security – Convergence and Partnerships.
FSSAI has entered into a partnership with professional organizations, healthcare professionals, and corporates to address the challenge that plagues a small section of the Indian society.
The Diet4Life initiative is a collaborative effort of the country’s apex food regulator, the ministry of health and family welfare and other stakeholders including the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), the Indian Dietetic Association (IDA), the Indian Society for Inborn Errors of Metabolism (ISIEM), the Metabolic Errors and Rare Diseases organisation of India (MERD), the Indian Academy of Paediatrics (IAP), the National Neonatology Forum (NNF), the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the Indian Society of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (ISPGHAN) and the Infant and Young Child Nutrition Council of India (IYNCI) to ensure a holistic service for IEM patients, with the facilities of diagnosis, treatment and management of IEM.
Saarthak Bakshi, CEO, International Fertility Centre said, “This initiative will provide a comprehensive platform to parents, Healthcare professionals and parent support groups to adopt the right approach towards Inborn Errors of metabolism (IEM) management.”
“In India, many babies suffer from life-threatening conditions of IEM, and treatment of these metabolic disorders require early nutritional and dietary intervention. In view of the seriousness of the issue, FSSAI has initiated a unique platform for parents to find timely medical support and treatment.”
As part of its “Diet4Life initiative”, the regulator will facilitate the import of Food for Special Medical Purposes (FSMP) products. Since these types of products are not available in India, regulators will seek the assistance of companies such as Nestle, Danone, and Abbott that are masters in creating such produces.
These disorders, which impact a small section of consumers, especially babies, occur due to single gene defect leading to abnormalities in the synthesis of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. The regulator has identified 15 IEM conditions under this project.
Pawan Agarwal, CEO, FSSAI, said that the regulator has created this platform to allow imports of such products in collaborations with companies and health professionals. Under this project, four leading hospitals have been identified and the regulator is collaborating with doctors and dieticians to train them to be able to prescribe these products since diagnosis of these disorders is difficult.
“Companies have also agreed to offer some of these products at subsidised rates, especially for poor patients. We are in the process of finalising this mechanism that will allow patients suffering from IEM disorders to have access to these products and this will pave the way for saving thousands of lives,” he added.
Apart from providing products at subsidised rates, FSSAI is will be collaborating with other partners to conduct several workshops and training sessions to equip the health professionals from across the country. The motive behind these workshops is to train the healthcare professional so that they identify such disorders at a very nascent stage and then further refer them for the better treatment.