The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) recently launched a nationwide campaign ‘Aaj se thoda kam’ to urge people to reduce their salt, sugar and fat intake. The regulator’s Eat Right Movement covers food companies, retailers and restaurants to promote, and have also rolled out an ad featuring Bollywood actor, Rajkummar Rao. For the discussion to evolve, the ad will be promoted across television, social media and cinema halls. The ad film, made by Ishan Echoes, shows Rao speaking about measures to curb one's salt and sugar intake. Writer-producer-director, Abir Mishra,
Ishan Echoes, who conceptualized the ad shared insights with exchange4media on what went behind the making of the ad and how the creative was locked.Said Mishra, "FSSAI wanted a film to generate awareness on intake of high fat salt and sugar (HFSS) and reached out to the World Bank Group who are their technical partners. The brief from the WBG team to me was - we don’t want a film that is merely appreciated for its creative but does not lead to corrective action."
Mishra shared that the making of the ad film was a detailed process with inputs from multiple stakeholders which led to such clear messaging in the given duration. He reasoned that the “thoda kam” gesture was also developed as part of the creative as a catchy hook with strong recall. "The first challenge in our minds was getting Rajkummar Rao on board. The thorough gentleman that he is, it went off really smoothly once he was convinced of the script and the health issues at stake," he said.Mishra opened up that the other challenge was holding the interest of the audience throughout the longer version of the film with one character at one location in one position. "That’s where the sincerity of Rajkummar’s appeal and his talent did wonders,” he added.
FMCG companies and bakeries including Nestle India, Haldiram and Patanjali, have also promised to join FSSAI's ‘Eat Right’ movement. In the process, they took a pledge to reformulate packaged foods with reduced levels of salt, sugar and saturated fats. More celebrities and influencers are also being roped in, coupled with poster ads across the city with Bollywood actors like Farhan Akhtar who are further helping to spread the message. With the launch of an AI-powered chat bot ‘Food Funda’ to address food-related consumer queries and a website, the nationwide campaign will be expanded further.CEO FSSAI, Pawan Agarwal remarked that the “Eat Right” movement can grow organically as a self-perpetuating movement, which is co-owned and co-led by various partners using the broad framework and resources put together by professionals and experts in the field of food and nutrition.
Bollywood actor, Rajkummar Rao says:
We all wish to be healthy. To see our children, grow strong and happy. But all over the world, millions of people-both young and old-are being afflicted by non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, blood pressure, heart diseases or cancer. These silent killers are depriving people of a healthy life in the most productive years of their lives.
In India alone, the levels of obesity have doubled in the last decade. One out of four Indians are at a risk of dying from one of these non-communicable diseases. The numbers are alarming! However, what is heartening to know is that 80 percent of the heart diseases and diabetes can be averted through - simple lifestyle modifications and by consuming nutritionally balanced diet.
I support the FSSAI's initiative of reducing the consumption of foods high in fat, sugar and salt. As these foods if consumed in excess for a long period of time can lead to severe health complications. I also encourage all the Indians to start making simple dietary modifications in their daily diets like gradually reducing the amount of salt and oil in your daily cooking, avoiding sprinkling of salt over salads and fruits, eating sweets in moderation and also engaging in any form of exercise for atleast 30 minutes per day for a healthy life.
We cannot sit by and allow our current and future generations to be afflicted by this largely avoidable threat. The time to act is now! We can all make small changes in our diet and our lifestyle for a better future.
I feel honored and very inspired to have joined the Eat Right Movement envisaged by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) under the aegis of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Let's all join hands together and begin an Eat Right Movement to fight and win the battle against NCDs. Together we can motivate each other to promote healthy lives for a better future of our country.
[With inputs also from: https://www.exchange4media.com/advertising/fssai-and-rajkummar-rao-are-telling-people-aaj-se-thoda-kam_91485.html
