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Global guidance · Children and food · WHO

WHO issues its first global guidelines on obesity care for children and teens

The 7 October guidance centres on structured, age-appropriate care and family support, rather than product shortcuts.

WHO released its first global guidelines on child and adolescent obesity on 7 October. They address care delivered through health systems.

The main change

WHO recommends structured support covering food, physical activity and behaviour for children and adolescents living with obesity. It also calls for care that considers mental health, family circumstances and long-term follow-up.

The recommendations are global clinical guidance. They are not an Indian packaged-food scoring system, and they do not identify a snack or supplement as a treatment.

Sources: WHO: child and adolescent obesity guidelines, 7 October 2026

What this means for our product pages

A Heal score cannot assess a child’s growth, medical history or nutritional needs. Parents can use ingredient information to ask clearer questions, but individual care belongs with a qualified clinician. Our guide focuses on checking food claims without turning shopping into a weight-loss plan for a child.

Sources: Heal.Abhi: our evidence and scoring method

Sources and further reading

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