Amrutham Nutrimix given at Kerala's Anganwadis still carries refined sugar, against Union guidelines

4 November 2026

Amrutham Nutrimix is the supplementary food given to small children through Kerala's Anganwadis. Wheat makes up 45 per cent of a 500 gram packet; Bengal gram comes to 15 per cent, groundnut and soybean to 10 per cent each, and refined sugar to as much as 20 per cent. The Union Ministry of Women and Child Development has told States that food supplied to children below the age of two must carry no added salt, no artificial colour, no synthetic flavour and no processed sugar. Where a sweet taste is needed, jaggery alone may be used, and it must stay within 5 per cent of the child's total energy intake. The State Women and Child Development Department promised in a July order to change the formula, but the mix has not changed. The Kerala State Child Rights Commission had earlier asked that sugar be dropped from the mix supplied under the Integrated Child Development Services. Parents have only been advised not to add more sugar at home.