FSSAI planning to ban junk food in schools

FSSAI planning to ban junk food in schools, 10 point charter released for food supply to school kids

It is said an old saying ‘A healthy mind resides in a healthy body.’ So the FSSAI or Food Safety and Standards Authority of India have started the initiative Eat Right and Healthy Eating Habits in young kids. They have released a 10 point charter which prohibits sale and even promotion of unhealthy food items in schools and in the vicinity of the schools.

Why has so much emphasis been laid on kids eating habits? A sudden spurt of nutrition related diseases like Obesity, Type-2 Diabetes, and Cardiovascular Diseases etc. are afflicting children. They have started spreading their tentacles around young children and are gnawing and snuffing the life out of them. All these diseases are linked to poor eating habits among children.

Today we are living in a fast age where everything is fast and instant including our food. In our whirlwind lives we forget to pay attention to the deleterious effects which these fast foods may have on our lives in the long run. Our kids are suffering due to our paucity of time. These fast and convenient foods may be cheap and tasty but are the potential carriers of disease which can afflict both children and adults alike. Processed sugars and fats are a major part of a child’s diet today. A survey done on both small children and teenagers showed childhood obesity, Type-2 diabetes, cancer, low self-esteem, peer rejection and psychological problems.

The vital points of the 10 point charter are-

• Schools serving Mid-day meals would be required to obtain a licence that complies with  the hygiene and sanitation requirements of FSSAI
• A blanket ban would be imposed on selling foods high in fat, salt and sugar
• A comprehensive program to encourage healthy eating habits and safe food among school children
• Schools must promote a balanced diet among students
• Schools have to check the food supplied in canteen follow the hygiene standards
• HFSS foods are barred from advertising these products to school children in the school
• Schools are supposed to engage dieticians periodically to help prepare a proper menu for school children
• A strict ban on marketing of foods low in nutrition in school
• Regular inspection of school premises to ensure hygienic food being served to students
• A sub-committee would be constituted to monitor the implementation of the above

A wonderful initiative but how do we enforce this, only school or parents do not have the responsibility to inculcate healthy eating habits. It has to be a combined effort to help our children to become healthy.

Let us see what measures can be taken in this direction-

Firstly we need to encourage our kids to love to eat real food - the healthy, honest & nutritious food. We have to tell our kids Junk food satisfies you for a minute but healthy food satiates you for life.

Children and parents are bogged down by busy schedules, so homemade meals are becoming a luxury and making it a Balanced Diet. The kids survive on fast and packaged foods which are playing havoc on their health. So to help our children become healthy we must start early.

• When a child starts on solid foods the parents should initiate the child into a healthy diet
• As the child grows involve him in purchasing of food
• Gradually engage them in cooking
• Only allow them a treat day once a week. Treat them to popcorn or ice cream but no junk
• Make set hours for family mealtimes
• Healthy snacks between meals should be given, which could include nuts, fruits, low fat yoghurt etc
• Different coloured vegetables should be incorporated in the diet and they should be taught the importance of eating fruits and vegetables
• Regulate portions
• Chew well and eat slowly
• Limit sugar intake
• Don’t force them to eat but let them develop a natural love for healthy foods
• Limit screen time and ban snacking in front of the screen
• Parents should become role models by eating healthy as children emulate their parents and can learn being healthy by their ways

As a child spends long hours in school teachers along with academic knowledge need to educate students on the harmful impact of eating junk food. As these are the formative years of a child and ingraining the benefits of a healthy diet should be a part of the school curriculum. Schools can play an important role by inculcating lifelong healthy eating habits by serving free or reduced price nutrient rich food. They can further take the onus by adding a class on health education to help students understand the importance of a Balanced Diet and physical activity. Teachers too should become role models by not eating junk food in the school premises. Just preaching and not practising cannot send a positive message among students.

Eating healthy keeps children alert and makes them strong. So this should be a collaborative effort of both parents and schools to enforce good eating habits among children, who are the future of tomorrow and make their meal a part of Balanced Diet. Then we will be able to boast of a happy and healthy nation, where illness will be kept at bay with good eating habits. Lets remove this canker called junk food which is gnawing at our children and make our future generation healthy

So it should be ‘Junk foods are only to taste, but home foods are always the best.’