Junk food to go off shelf from Maharashtra educational institutes, FDA promotes 'Eating Right' scheme

The Maharashtra Food and Drugs Administration introduced a new scheme in which over one lakh education institutes will be asked to ban foods available with high, sugar, salt and fat content in their canteens.

A Moderate amount of consumption of fats, meat, fish and eggs. She added, that the convenience food is promoted in menus due to its cost-effectiveness and aggressive branding. 

Mumbai: The Maharashtra Food and Drugs Administration introduced a new scheme in which over one lakh education institutes will be asked to ban foods available with high, sugar, salt and fat content in their canteens. These institutes will also be asked to replace the banned products with high carbohydrates, proteins items. 

The main cause behind the initiative is to promote 'Eating Right' scheme, to change eating habits and further reduce chances of lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, obesity among youngsters and adolescents. It will be affiliated to the Food Safety Standards Association Authority of India (FSSAI).

According to a report in the Hindustan Times (HT), food items with a high content of salt and sugar are known to lead to various health problems among adolescents. These food items include pizzas, burgers, chips, cold drinks that can lead to an increase of blood sugar, diabetes, hypertension obesity and diabetes. 

Dr. Pallavi Darade commissioner of the FDA told HT as per the dietary pyramid of Nutrition Institute, youth are supposed to have adequate consumption of fruits, vegetables, milk and cereals. A Moderate amount of consumption of fats, meat, fish and eggs.

She added, that the convenience food is promoted in menus due to its cost-effectiveness and aggressive branding. 

Through various campaigns, the FDA will change the eating pattern of students. The education institutes have time till September to implement the newly formed rules and regulations. Reportedly, during October and November, commissioner from the FDA will begin surveying these colleges and schools. 

A similar plan was implemented in May 2017, a government resolution banned junk food from school canteens, however, the plan remained on paper as authorities failed to put a monitoring system in place.