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Maharashtra Bans Junk Food in School Canteens to Curb Obesity

The Maharashtra state government has imposed a ban on the sale of 'High in Fat, Salt and Sugar' (HFSS) food at school canteens across the state.

Maharashtra Bans Junk Food in School Canteens to Curb Obesity

The Maharashtra state government has imposed a ban on the sale of 'High in Fat, Salt and Sugar' (HFSS) food at school canteens across the state. The Government Resolution (GR) listed 12 categories of foods that cannot be sold in the school premises and it included items like potato chips, noodles, carbonated soft drinks, pizza, burger, cakes, biscuits, buns, pastries, etc. The GR said the Union Government had set up a Task Force under the chairmanship of Director, National Nutrition Institute, Hyderabad to promote consumption of healthy food.

The prevalence of childhood obesity is increasing at an alarming rate and out homes as well as schools play an important role in the health and well-being of the children. Factors like unhealthy snacks served at the canteen, easy availability of packaged foods, sugar laden drinks and an unawareness about obesity are contributory factors to childhood obesity.

The ill-effects of junk foods are widely well-known, yet they are most readily available in school canteens, grocery stores, etc. The task force in its report said that junk food contain high levels of fat, salt and sugar and very little nutritional content, which then leads to obesity, dental diseases, diabetes and heart ailments in later life. Taking note of recommendations of the Task Force, the state government decided to impose a ban on junk food in school canteens, the GR said.

The GR includes a list of 20 items that are allowed to be sold in school canteens, replacing the likes of pizzas, noodles and pastries. The GR also called for creating awareness among children about consuming nutritional food. Schools should counsel students on this, it said. The GR also calls for creating awareness among children about consuming nutritional food. Schools should counsel students on this, it said.

The broad list of 12 banned food categories covers fried food items like potato chips, sherbets, ice gola, carbonated soft drinks, non-carbonated soft drinks, rasgullas, gulab-jamuns, pedha, kalakand, noodles, pizza, burger, tikka, pani-puri, all kinds of toffees, chocolates and candies, jalebis, imartis, all kinds of sweets, cakes, biscuits, buns, pastries, jams and jellies.

The food items that are allowed to be sold are rotis made of wheat, parathas, multi-grain rotis, rice, vegetable pulavs, rice with cereals and pulses, rice and black gram, halva made out of wheat with channa, sweet daliya, rice with rajma, idli-vada sambar, kheer, firni, milk and milk products like curd, lassi and buttermilk, vegetable sandwich, vegetable khichdi, coconut water, shikanji and jaljira.

(With inputs from PTI)
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