Policy coherence between nutrition and non-communicable disease programmes is essential. Illustrate with examples.

Policy coherence means that programmes with different goals support each other instead of working against each other. India's double burden makes this urgent. Anaemia among women aged 15–49 rose from 53.1% (NFHS-4) to 57.0% (NFHS-5) [1], while NCD policy seeks lower salt intake [3]. Solving one problem must not make the other worse.

Why coherence matters

• Shared vehicles: the cheapest carriers of nutrients, such as salt, oil and processed foods, are often the foods NCD policy asks people to eat less of.
• Global guidance: WHO advises that fortification policy be aligned with policies to reduce diet-related NCDs [5].
• Shared beneficiaries: the same household hears both nutrition and NCD messages, and conflicting messages erode trust.

Example 1 (incoherence): double-fortified salt (DFS)

• DFS (iodine + iron) was promoted through PDS, ICDS and mid-day meals [6].
• India's NCD targets aim for a 30% relative cut in mean salt intake, towards WHO's limit of under 5 g/day [3][7].
• If salt reduction succeeds, people get less iron from DFS. If DFS is to supply enough iron, salt intake must stay high. A "fortified" label may also make salt look healthy.

Example 2 (coherence): universal salt iodization

• WHO treats salt reduction and iodization as compatible, because the iodine level in salt can be adjusted as monitored salt intake falls [4].
• Lesson: link fortification to regular surveillance of intake instead of fixed assumptions.

Example 3 (convergence by design): Anaemia Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan

• The 2026 guidelines expand the 6×6×6 strategy to 7×7×7 and add "Eating Right" as an intervention [2]. The focus is on overall diet quality, not a single nutrient.
• Targeting specific groups gets iron to those who need it most without relying on salt eaten by the whole population [2].

Way forward

• Joint planning: one MoHFW framework that sets iron and salt targets together and revises fortificant levels as salt intake falls [4].
• Diagnostics first: anaemia also has causes other than iron deficiency, so testing before treating avoids giving iron to everyone.
• Honest labelling: fortified salt packs should carry the WHO 5 g/day limit [7].
• Learn from States: 13 States/UTs reduced anaemia between the two surveys [1], and their approaches deserve study.

Nutrition and NCD programmes reach the same people and draw on the same budgets, so they need a single plan. Aligning fortification with salt reduction and delivering iron through AMB Abhiyaan can advance SDG 2.2 and SDG 3.4 together, so India can fight hidden hunger without raising salt intake.