Fat is in the fire: Delhi private schools found wanting on food safety

NEW DELHI: The kids aren’t eating healthy: an inspection of at least 10 private schools in Delhi has revealed that these institutions don’t have a canteen policy in place and, in most cases, the students are “being given to eat what they ask for”. The Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights, which has been making rounds of canteens in private schools to check if they are providing nutritious food, found that in all the 10 cases so far, students are being given food high in fat, salt and sugar content, something that is strictly prohibited.

DCPCR has been inspecting the schools to ensure effective implementation of Food Safety and Standard Authority of India guidelines, which are prepared by the central advisory committee of the body as advised by the Delhi high court in 2015. Recently, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights had asked states to ensure an effective implementation of the norms.

Ranjana Prasad, member DCPCR, said: “NCPCR had decided to check if these guidelines were being followed and we are doing that in Delhi. We have so far covered 10 private schools in south Delhi. In most schools we saw that the canteens were selling HFSS food and gave whatever the students asked for. The children do not know what is good for them and what they should eat.” The canteens were serving burgers, chowmein and beverages — all strictly prohibited in the guidelines.

A research recently published in the Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that there is a link between consumption of HFSS food and obesity. Numerous studies done among schoolchildren of Delhi, Amritsar and southern India show that the prevalence of overweight/obesity is high and on the rise. In urban post-pubertal children of Delhi, it increased from 16% in 2002 to about 24% in 2006. It is high among the affluent class and children of private schools compared to low and middle-income groups.

Apart from selling food that’s high in sugar and fat content, none of these schools had a canteen policy in place.

“It is most surprising that none of the schools knew about the canteen policy. As per guidelines, the canteens are required to provide different kinds of food. They are supposed to have 80% of the menu as green food, which includes vegetables, fruits and others. It is important to raise awareness about it among schools, children and parents so that the children grow up healthy,” said Prasad.

The inspection will be carried out in all the schools of the city and the Directorate of Education has recommended that the guidelines are strictly implemented.