The country’s apex food regulator has put up draft guidelines on its website intended to monitor the consumption of junk food by school children.
According to TOI, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued draft guidelines on availability of wholesome and nutritious food in schools to control junk food consumption among children.
Under the draft guidelines, which were first submitted to the court last year, food high in fat, salt or sugar will not be sold within 50 metres of a school’s premises. This includes an array of food and beverages consumed by school children including chips, ready-to-eat noodles, pizzas, burgers, sugar-sweetened carbonated and non-carbonated drinks, potato fries (commonly called French fries) and confectionery items, the reports further stated.
The move comes after the Delhi High Court had given the FSSAI three months in a hearing end-July to do so. The July judgement was in response to a public interest suit moved in 2010 by a non-government organisation, Uday Foundation.
The NGO had raised the issue of easy availability of junk food and carbonated drinks to children and had sought a ban on these food items in schools.
This includes an array of food & beverages commonly consumed by school children including chips, ready-to-eat noodles, pizzas, burgers, sugar-sweetened carbonated and non-carbonated drinks, potato fries (commonly called French fries) and confectionery items.
The draft guidelines have also suggested creation of a canteen policy and school health education programmes to make students and parents aware about the ill-effects of unhealthy food habits.
The guidelines, if notified, could bring about a paradigm shift in how food is consumed in schools in India. Food & beverage companies such as PepsiCo were not available for comments at the time of going to press. A Coca-Cola India spokesperson said that the company did not sell its products in school premises.
An ITC spokesperson said that the firm was yet to go through the draft guidelines.
Arvind Verma, secretary-general, Indian Beverage Association, whose members include all the top beverage companies in the country, also said that it would have to go through the guidelines before commenting about it.