No junk food in CBSE school canteens

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has instructed all its affiliated schools to stop consumption and serving of junk food on the school premises and also to check lunch boxes of students to ensure they do not bring junk food to school. The order comes in the wake of the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) committee recommending healthy food by replacing junk food as it leads to many chronic diseases among children.

According to the order, the MWCD report comprehensively covers the issue of consumption of foods high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) and promotion of healthy snacks in schools of India. “The report provides invaluable insights on how to control the endemic problem of consumption of junk food available especially in and around schools,” said Joseph Emmanuel, secretary, CBSE.

In the letter addressed to schools, Mr Emmanuel points out that past reports on HFSS had found it to be associated with many diseases, including type 2 diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, chronic inflammation and hyperinsulinemia with a risk of cardiovascular diseases in later life. These diseases and childhood obesity have been reportedly found to affect the cognitive and physical development of children adversely. So, the board has asked schools to implement all of them stringently. The recommendations include ensuring that junk food is not available in and around 200m of the school. Schools need to constitute the School Canteen Management Committee having about seven to 10 members including teachers, parents, students and school canteen operators. The SCMC will recommend food to be cooked and served on a regular basis and ensure that it conforms to the guidelines of the report. Schools have also been asked to promote nutrition, education and awareness among children through tools such as posters, collage and other visual aids and hold inspection of lunch boxes to rule out consumption of unhealthy foods. Schools have also been asked to have seminars, workshops and conferences for parents to explain to them the benefits of healthy eating habits and nutrition values of different foods.

The letter concludes with a recommendation for schools to have a health club that will promote healthy living among students through the above-mentioned activities.

Junk food that will go off the shelves from CBSE schools are chips, fried foods, carbonated beverages, ready-to-eat noodles, pizzas, burgers, potato fries and confectionery items, chocolates, candies, samosas, bread pakora, etc.