Now, officials to check samples of cooked mid-day meals

Meerut: The director of Mid-Day Meal Authority (MDMA) in Uttar Pradesh has directed the officials of Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) and authorities concerned to take samples of cooked food from schools to ensure that quality food is served in government educational institutions.

A letter issued by Abdul Samad, director of MDMA, stated: “This is to instruct all the FSDA officials that samples of cooked mid-day meals should be taken from all government schools, sent for quality check and their reports sought. The reports should be then submitted to the district task force and also given to the district basic shiksha adhikari.”

The MDMA officials routinely check samples of raw materials including spices, vegetables and condiments used for cooking meals in schools to ensure the quality of food prepared. However, food samples are rarely taken.

“Samples of cooked mid-day meals should be taken from at least 10 schools every month and a report in this regard should be submitted to the authorities concerned, so that if any anomalies are found, action is taken against those found guilty,” added the order.