May 16, 2017
Mothers welcome ban on junk food ads
To reduce consumption of unhealthy food by children, authorities have recommended a ban on junk food advertisements.
Artist Lakshmi Nambiar with her daughter Tamaara and Dancer Hima Bindu Kanoj with her daughter Laasya.
The attractive advertisement showing the cheesy gooeyness of a burger may soon be a thing of the past. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), who had earlier recommended additional tax on processed foods and sugar-sweetened beverages, has now recommended a blanket ban on the advertising of junk foods and beverages on children’s channels and content for children across television, websites and social media.
The ban was recommended following the report ‘Consumption of fat, sugar and salt (FSS) and its health effects on Indian population’, which suggested many ways to reduce consumption of unhealthy food by children.
While we are all aware about the ill-effects of junk food, it doesn’t stop people from getting those products home. Welcoming the ban, Hima Bindu Kanoj, dancer and parent to six-year-old Laasya, says, “Children are very familiar with what goes on in television channels. They know about the schedule and what advertisements come in between. So if the ban is being imposed, nothing like it. It will help divert the child’s mind to something more concrete.” She adds, “Then again, all the blame can’t be put on advertisements; parents also need to be more cautious. One can let children indulge twice a month and the rest you can monitor.”
“I am really shocked with this step. Now, how will I get to know which chips have been added on with vitamins and minerals?” asks Avish Juluri, the nine-year-old son of artist Sravanthi Juluri. “Avish is not much of a junk food eater, but he likes to buy things either because they look attractive or his friends have eaten them. The ban will be a boon for the parents. Less visibility means less peer pressure to try and eat it at least once,” says Sravanthi.
According to fellow artist and parent, Lakshmi Nambiar, her daughter Tamaara gets enticed with the advertisements which get aired every few minutes in between a show. “Kids remember every minute detail which is showcased in the ads. If that is restricted, I think we have a win over junk foods,” says Lakshmi.
FSSAI conducts workshop on safe and nutritious food in Lancers International School
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) conducted a 20- minute workshop on ‘safe and nutritious food at Lancers International School today. The workshop was conducted under FSSAI’s ‘safe and nutritious food at school’ initiative. Officials of FSSAI were also present at the occasion.
As part of this initiative, mascots developed by FSSAI, Master Sehat and Miss Sehat gave valuable tips regarding the importance of safe and nutritious food through interactive skit. They advised to purchase milk in tetra packs where adulteration chances are minimum. They also briefed about the significance of consuming fortified food, various deficiency diseases and how to take precautions to avoid them. More than 200 students attended the workshop.
FSSAI has launched pan- India ‘Safe and nutritious food at school’ initiative during which they plan to reach out to 16 lakh government, public, private as well as international schools across the country. FSSAI has developed multi-pronged strategy to deliver the message.
“There is an urgent need to spread awareness about safe and healthy food to ward off diseases. Since children are powerful change agents, such an initiative at schools will long a long way in instilling consciousness about the importance of safe and healthy food .We heartily thank FSSAI for conducting this workshop at Lancers International School,” said Rohit Mann, Director, Lancers International School.
The objective of the initiative is to impart principles of food safety in a full-filled way through interactive theatre workshops and mascots. The initiative intends to train teachers and senior students as Health and Wellness coordinators to disseminate the message of safe and nutritious food to their school and drive various safe food initiatives. It also plans to drive the initiative by reviewing the curriculum from Class 1 to 12 standards for identifying crucial gaps, spreading awareness through extra-curricular activities like interactive quizzes, mascots, and legislative and regulatory framework.
“The session by FSSAI was really informative and made us aware about consuming safe and healthy food.” said, Kovida Chhikara a student of Lancers International School.
Lancers International School has been actively promoting the significance of safe and healthy food. A week ago, a session on ‘Healthy Food practices’ was organized by Dr. Sushila Kataria,Director Department of Medicine & Geriatrics ,Medanta. The children had the opportunity to speak to Dr. Kataria one on one and discuss the food and safety measures to be taken at their end.
The school also sends its food and water to testing lab once in every quarter to maintain safe and high standards of food in the campus.
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