FDA tells schools, colleges to create healthy menus – Maharashtra Govt Campaign as part of Eat Right

Safe and Nutritious Food initiative unveiled as part of Eat Right, Maharashtra campaign

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on Thursday urged all those involved in the food ecosystem in the State’s schools and colleges to scrap junk food from their menus and encourage a healthier way of eating.

“Obesity is a silent epidemic” that needs to be tackled during adolescence, said Dr. Pallavi Darade, FDA commissioner, at a workshop for providing safe and nutritious food in the State’s school and college canteens. Dr. Darade, celebrity chef Harpal Singh Sokhi, FDA assistant commissioner Prashant Umrani, and Indian Dietetics Association national president Dr. Jagmeet Madan were among those who aimed to send out a message to principals, professors, canteen managers, caterers, and other stakeholders to create a more wholesome menu for students. The workshop was conducted at the MMRDA Hall, Bandra Kurla Complex.

The FDA unveiled the Safe and Nutritious Food initiative as part of the Eat Right, Maharashtra campaign, wherein it issued letters to schools and colleges in the State to ban ‘High Fat, Sugar, Salt’ food from their canteens and create healthier menus. It also directed the institutions to form a health team, and work on modifications in the menu as per the FDA’s guidelines. Maharashtra has become the first State in the country to unveil such an initiative.

Dr. Darade emphasised the need to bring about these modifications expeditiously. “We have outlined July to December as the implementation period, following which we will conduct surprise visits to review the compliance and checklist maintenance, and will impose penalties if they are not found to be in order,” she said. She also said FDA officers will be readily available for any assistance in implementing the guidelines.

Maharashtra’s Education and Sports Department had issued a circular in this regard in May 2017, which gave recognition to this drive. It has made the compliance mandatory for all schools and colleges. Yet, Dr. Madan said, 71% of government schools still provide carbonated drinks in their canteens. “The FDA has issued seven important guidelines to be followed across all institutions, which also includes banning sweetened and carbonated drinks on school counters. But this does not seem to have been implemented yet.”

Altogether 25 schools and colleges were felicitated after the workshop for having implemented the new menus in their canteens, and the other institutions were advised to seek their guidance in doing so.

Source | The Hindu | 23^rd August 2019

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