46% of food sold in school canteens is junk, says study

Mumbai: A study has found that children in both private and government-aided schools in the city are not just surrounded by junk food in their canteens but also bring non-nutritious foods in their tiffin boxes. Further, food high in fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) was freely available within a 50-metres radius of school campuses in violation of food safety regulations.

A cross-sectional study of 300 children aged between 10 and 12 was carried out at seven government and 13 private schools early this year. It shows that nearly 46% food items sold in canteens are HFSS, including choices such as burgers and chips in private schools and samosa and wada pav in their public counterparts. In stalls outside schools, the percentage of HFSS food jumped to 73%. Worse, 65% of children carried HFSS food even in their lunch boxes. The share of children carrying fruits or vegetables was marginally higher in private schools than in government ones. 

Investigators have called the study findings “appalling” and demanded stringent food regulations in and around campuses. The research carried out by Vithaldas Thackersay College of Home Science also found that boys studying in private schools had higher body weight, BMI, waist and hip circumference.

“It is shocking that 60% of canteen menus across these schools only offer junk food. Such unhealthy food choices are posing a risk of early development of metabolic disorders in an entire generation,” said Dr Jagmeet Madan, principal of the college and president of the Indian Dietic Association. She said, “Fat is the factory of hormones. And when one develops hormonal imbalance, it throws the entire metabolic health in a disarray, giving rise to the threat of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, insulin resistance, PCOD and hypertension, among others.” 

A peek into the tiffin boxes showed most contained biscuits, wafers, chakli or plain bread and butter or rotis with ketchup. “Fruits or a full meal such as roti, sabzi were a rarity,” said Panchali Moitra, assistant professor. Research scholar Rashmi Bhatt found that most preferred junk food, which in turn also drove canteens to offer them. And 90% of schools didn’t have canteen management to check that.

FDA commissioner Pallavi Darade said the fact that sweetened and carbonated beverages were available in all government schools would be checked in the ongoing ‘Eat Right’ drive.