The Action Lab on Diets and Nutrition focuses on driving change in how communities understand, access, and consume food. It recognizes that dietary choices are not just individual preferences but are deeply influenced by culture, affordability, accessibility, marketing, and the surrounding food environment. At its core, the Lab works to make healthy, safe, and sustainable diets the default rather than the exception.

A central initiative under this Lab is the programme to promote food literacy. This school-based intervention integrates lessons on nutrition, food diversity, safety, and sustainability into everyday learning. By embedding these concepts into school education, the programme seeks to nurture early awareness among children—helping them understand not only what is healthy, but also how food choices affect the planet and future generations. The intervention blends classroom teaching with experiential learning, enabling students to connect theoretical knowledge with daily practices such as meal planning, reducing waste, and valuing traditional, diverse diets.

The Eat Well Live Well—21 Habits for Navigating the 21st Century programme led by Food Future Foundation under CoFTI’s Action Lab 1 builds on the understanding that children need support to build lifelong habits that nourish the body, mind and the planet. It introduces 21 essential habits that support health, nutrition, self-care and mindful practices.

The Action Lab also emphasizes shaping food environments through engagement with local governments, businesses, and civil society to reimagine consumption patterns that are rich in pulses, millets, fruits, and vegetables.

By working at both the individual and systemic level, the Action Lab on Diets and Nutrition aims to address undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and rising diet-related diseases—while contributing to environmental sustainability and social equity.