Maneka Gandhi seeks ban on junk food for students

NEW DELHI: Junk food could be banned in cafeterias and around schools if Union minister Maneka Gandhi has her way. The minister—who holds charge of the ministry for women and child development—has written to her Cabinet colleagues HRD minister Smriti Irani and health minister J P Nadda seeking a ban on junk food in school canteens and incorporating new food guidelines that define junk food and categorize it on its nutritious value. 

The move comes following a government panel recommendation on junk food or ``HFSS'' that is foods high in fat, salt and sugar. Guidelines include ban on sale of HFSS foods in school canteens, private vendors and hawkers within 200 meters of the school during school hours (7 am to 4 pm), disallowing shops and restaurants from selling proprietary foods to children in school uniform and stocking non-standardized proprietary foods in canteens according to their nutritional value.

In her letter to Nadda, Gandhi said, ``Over the last two decades, over-nutrition and obesity have emerged as a public health problem among school going children in the age group of 6 to 18 years. This is largely the result of lifestyle related factors in terms of reduction in physical activity and non-health food choices. The major contributor of the non-healthy food choices in the younger generation is the easy availability of ``junk food'' which essentially is calorie dense high fat fast food.'' 

Gandhi has suggested that considering the ``gravity'' of the obesity problem the guidelines prepared by the working group under Hyderabad's National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) be adopted by the Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). 

In her letter to Irani, Gandhi has urged that fast food be banned in schools and campuses and sale up to 200 meters of the school be disallowed as well. The minister has also sought the intervention of chief ministers of various states to assist in implementing the ban. 

HFSS foods are defined as foods (any food or drink, packaged or non-packaged) which contain low amounts of protein, vitamins, phytochemicals, minerals and dietary fibre but are rich in fat (saturated fatty acids), salt and sugar, high in energy (calories) that are known to have negative impact on health if consumed regularly or in high amounts.