Replace junk food with healthy snacks in canteens, CBSE tells schools
Gurvinder Singh
Tribune News Service
Ludhiana, January 11
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has directed schools to stop sale of junk food on their premises. The Board has directed that food high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) must not be sold in school canteens and these should be replaced with healthy snacks.
Such foods cause diseases including type 2 diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, chronic inflammation and hyperinsulinemia, which pose a risk of cardiovascular diseases to children after they grow up. These diseases and childhood obesity also affect the cognitive and physical development of children adversely, causing an irreparable loss to their system.
It may be mentioned that the report of the working group by Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) provides invaluable insights on how to control the endemic problem of consumption of junk food, available in and around schools.
The Board has directed the school to implement the recommendations and ensure that no HFSS food, including chips, fried foods, carbonated beverages, ready-to-eat noodles, pizzas, burgers, potato fries, confectionery items, chocolates, candies, samosas, bread pakora etc. are available in the school canteens. Schools are also been urged to take all possible necessary steps to ensure the non-availability of HFSS around 200 meters of the school.
The Board has also asked schools to constitute the School Canteen Management Committee comprising teachers, parents, students and the operator to coordinate and make safe food available to the students.
The committee will also decide the type of food to be prepared and check the quality of raw materials and ingredients required, ensure that food available in schools meets the safety, hygiene and sanitation requirements, study the gaps and advise the principal about the necessary infrastructural facilities.
Schools have also been asked to design physical activity programmes for students, to organise at least 40 minutes of physical activities for classes I-X every day and ensure participation in physical activity, games, mass PT or yoga with maximum health benefits for at least two periods per week for class XI and Class XII.
The schools must also promote healthy eating habits and create awareness about quality nutrition, selection and preparation of healthy food and integrate physical activities during the school time. Children should be taught about the importance of embracing healthy and active lifestyle, while incorporating healthy eating habits.
Activities to involve children, teachers and parents for healthy eating behaviour must be undertaken. For instance, healthy tiffin competition, a nutritious recipe competition, nutrition discussion session for parents, celebrating healthy snacking day in classes, debate competitions for students on topics related to hygiene and sanitation, advantages of a healthy lifestyle etc, should be conducted.
Parents should also be made aware about obesity, HFSS foods and the importance of physical activity so that they provide children with toys and sports equipment that encourage physical activity.
Schools have also been directed to regularly monitor the height, weight and body mass index (BMI) for all the students and also provide individualised counselling to each student and parents during the parent-teacher meeting as well.
Parents say the CBSE must ensure the implementation of these instructions in schools. “It is high time schools took measures to create awareness about healthy food and stop sale of unhealthy food,” said a schoolteacher, whose child is studying in the same school. “School is a learning space and students must learn to develop healthy eating habits, rather than eating junk food in schools,” the teacher said.
Paramjit Kaur, Principal, BCM Arya Model School, Shastri Nagar, said: "Even though the monitoring of food that is served is already being done, it will be looked into more closely and even healthier food items will be added," she said.
