India could soon shift from prescribing iron tablets to promoting aspirational, nutrient-rich foods, as the ICMR and the Gates Foundation jointly seek innovative products that make anaemia prevention a part of everyday eating rather than medication.
Recognising that iron tablets alone have not been enough to curb India's stubbornly high burden of anaemia, the ICMR, in partnership with the Gates Foundation, has launched a new Grand Challenge that seeks proposals to develop "aspirational" nutrient-dense food products for adolescent girls and women of reproductive age (15-49 years). These two groups continue to bear the highest burden of iron deficiency despite decades of government supplementation programmes.
The project represents a significant shift in India's anaemia-control strategy—from relying primarily on iron and folic acid tablets to creating food products that women and girls would willingly consume every day as part of their regular diet.
Anaemia remains one of India's most persistent nutritional challenges. Around half of all adolescent girls and women of reproductive age are anaemic, largely because of inadequate dietary intake of iron and folate, recurrent infections, menstrual blood loss and repeated pregnancies.
The condition affects far more than haemoglobin levels. It increases the risk of maternal mortality, low birth weight, premature delivery, poor cognitive development, reduced learning ability, fatigue and lower productivity.
In adolescents, iron deficiency also affects physical growth and educational outcomes, while in pregnant women it contributes significantly to maternal and neonatal complications.
Despite nationwide initiatives such as Anaemia Mukt Bharat and iron-folic acid supplementation programmes, prevalence has remained stubbornly high.
According to the ICMR, this reflects multiple challenges, including poor adherence to iron tablets because of side effects, irregular supplies, inadequate counselling, low awareness and the perception that supplements are medicines meant only for those who are ill.
The new Grand Challenge aims to overcome these behavioural barriers by encouraging scientists, food technologists, start-ups and nutrition experts to develop products that people actually enjoy eating.
Instead of conventional supplements, researchers are being encouraged to create affordable, iron-rich products such as snack bars, millet-based chikkis, savoury bites, beverages, drink mixes, gummies, chewables and other convenient food formats.
The emphasis is on products that are tasty, attractive, affordable and socially acceptable, rather than resembling medicines.
Behavioural science forms a central pillar of the initiative. Evidence shows that food choices among adolescents are driven less by nutritional value and more by taste, convenience, peer influence and social acceptance. Many women also avoid consuming nutrient-rich foods because of guilt associated with eating something perceived as special while other family members go without.
The proposed products are therefore expected to integrate seamlessly into existing eating habits rather than requiring people to adopt entirely new dietary practices.
Beyond consumer appeal, the food products must deliver measurable nutritional benefits.
ICMR has asked applicants to develop products capable of providing about 4-5 mg of bioavailable iron per serving, while incorporating ingredients that improve iron absorption. Researchers are also expected to account for India's predominantly vegetarian dietary patterns, where iron absorption is generally lower than from animal sources.
The products should avoid excessive sugar, fat or salt and should not fall into the category of unhealthy ultra-processed foods.
Scientists will also be required to demonstrate product stability, shelf life, nutrient retention and consumer acceptability before recommending large-scale adoption.
A major objective of the programme is ensuring that successful products can move beyond research laboratories into everyday use.
The Grand Challenge encourages designs that can be integrated into government delivery platforms such as schools, Anganwadi centres and community nutrition programmes, while also being commercially viable through retail outlets and e-commerce platforms.
Researchers must propose affordable manufacturing models using locally available ingredients and supply chains, making the products accessible to low- and middle-income families, as per the proposal.
Each selected project can receive funding of up to Rs 1 crore for one year to develop and validate prototypes.
Unlike conventional nutrition research, the initiative requires collaboration across multiple disciplines.
Eligible applicants include academic institutions, research organisations, food companies, start-ups and non-governmental organisations. Teams are expected to combine expertise in nutrition science, food technology, behavioural science, product design and public health.
ICMR has emphasised that proposals focusing only on traditional supplementation, awareness campaigns or policy advocacy without product innovation will not be supported.
Experts believe that foods integrated into daily diets are more likely to achieve sustained adherence than periodic tablet consumption, particularly among adolescents who often discontinue supplements because of gastrointestinal side effects or social stigma.
The programme also acknowledges that preventing anaemia requires addressing both biological and behavioural factors. Simply making iron available is insufficient if products are not acceptable to those who need them most.
The Grand Challenge reflects an emerging shift in public health thinking—from asking people to consume foods because they are healthy to designing healthy foods that people naturally choose.
Rather than viewing nutrition solely through the lens of deficiency and supplementation, the initiative seeks to harness consumer preferences, food innovation and behavioural insights to create products that are aspirational as well as scientifically effective.
