Do School Canteens Serve Healthy food

Dr. Paula Goel, Consultant Pediatrician, Adolescent Physician and the Founder of Fayth Clinic

Children spend at least six hours a day at school. They need healthy and nutritious food and beverages that support their well-being & school performance. Hence school is like a second home .Since 1995, the Indian government has provided a free midday meal scheme in most states to help improve school attendance and provide adequate nutrition to potentially malnourished children. It is served to 120 million children in 1.26 million schools. School canteens are important in providing healthy food and drink choices for students. A school canteen providing healthy meals supports student health and wellbeing, and reinforces healthy eating messages taught in the classrooms…Most children carry lunch boxes, however children enjoy eating from school canteen with their friends.

Since 2001, children attending a public or government-aided school till the upper-primary level are legally entitled to a daily hot meal of locally cooked pulses, rice, chapati, or vegetables, and milk or eggs ; a total of 700 calories and 20 grams of protein.

Not every school provides school meal. Only some of the schools in India provides lunches for its students ‘free of cost’. In some private sector schools Canteen provide meals.

FSSAI has banned unhealthy foods in school canteen with ban on sale of junk food within 50 m radius around school, however a blanket ban on junk food in school canteens doesnot work at times. Children like to eat junk food and there are times when processed foodsare available in school canteen. The school authorities should make stringent rules and ensure that canteens do not sell processed food. If they do so, stiff penalty should be imposed on them. It is the moral duty of teachers and parents to persuade students to opt for healthy alternatives and guide them on the ill-effects of junk food.

School meals are nutritious. Research shows that students who participate in the school meal programs consume more whole grains, milk, fruits, and vegetables during meal times and have better overall diet quality, than nonparticipants.

Eating breakfast, whether at home or school is associated with better school attendance, improved focus and academic scores. Meals served through school programs must meet specific nutrition requirements which include fruit, vegetables, and whole grains.

Harish Mulchandani ,trustee of NMT Academy , Mumbai states that their school provides tasty yet healthy food choices for their students in the form of mid-day snacks like poha , idlis , veg sandwiches , cheese and chutney sandwiches , upma. The school canteen also has healthy lunch options like dal rice, rajma rice, and dosa with chutney, paratha rajma, and aloo paratha. According to Mr. Harish Mulchandani, the school canteen is managed by the school authorities and is not outsourced to canteen contractors, hence they are able to provide healthy food options for the students and maintain quality and cleanliness in the school canteen.

Schools encourage students to participate in the school meal programs by:
• Providing meals that are nutritious and appealing.
• Promoting student access to healthier food & beverages
• Water as a drink of choice
• Obtaining feedback from students and parents about items they would like to have in the meals.
• Ensuring that students have adequate time to eat their meal (at least 10 minutes for breakfast and 20 minutes for lunch).
• Making Healthy choice an easy choice
• Preventing the overt identification of students who are eligible to receive free or reduced-price meals.

Parental guidance is needed to avoid processed and junk food. Intake of processed or junk food causes weakness , fatigue , obesity and different complications like prediabetes , high blood pressure , PCOS in the children.

Even after the ban on junk food by the government, schools fail to keep students away from these hazardous items as the canteen contractor may violate instructions. Hence many school have penalty against canteen contractors to stop sale of processed food and for violating the instructions. Posters are put up against sale of junk food.

It is not just the junk food which is the source of problem, food must be cooked under clean hygienic conditions, safe drinking water should be available and the quality of food must be maintained. Schools take advice from doctors and nutritionists regarding healthy meal options. Some school canteens provide weekly menus to the parents.

School environment is a critical venue for promoting and supporting healthy eating habits. Parents should be educated and the children informed about the harmful effect of junk food with the help of visuals. Food culture should be developed at home.

CBSE has issued a circular, listing the detailed measures to be taken to curb the availability of junk food in school canteens, and replace it with healthy food alternatives & these should be displayed and added to the menu of school canteens. Passing of orders will not help unless they are implemented by the authorities through surprise checks and fines. FSSAI labelled food may be allowed for sale in school canteen, instead of oily fried food and other stuffed preparations containing high calories.

The food made available in school should meet the standards of The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India. Schools should form a school canteen management committee to conduct surprise checks at the canteen to ensure that no junk food is sold there & school administration should be tough with the canteen contractor who should be penalized if found selling junk food.

Healthy School Meals for All is expected to improve health for children by the accessibility of healthy food to all including children from lower socio economic community.