‘Eat Right School Kerala’ begins

Campaign aims at including children in conversations about healthy eating

Nearly 300 students from five city schools signed up to become ambassadors of the Eat Right School Kerala 2020 campaign here on Friday.

Implemented by the Food Safety Department as part of the Aardram mission in the district, Eat Right School Kerala aims at creating healthy food habits among children, helping them identify food with adulterants, and reduce junk food intake so as to grow into a healthy generation.

Eat Right School is a campaign of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to get children to eat food that is safe and right (Safe and Nutritious Food at School). The aim is to engage with children and include them in conversations about healthy eating, especially in the wake of a high burden of lifestyle diseases.

The FSSAI recently released draft regulations on safe food and healthy diet for students.

Food Safety officials said Eat Right School was also connected with other initiatives such as setting hygiene parameters for street vendors such as training and certification. The students ambassadors should make others students aware of the importance of eating safe and right, they said.

As part of the launch of Eat Right School Kerala, yoga, a session on mental health, and walkathon from Kanakakkunnu to Chandrasekharan Nair Stadium’s Bhagyamala auditorium were organised for students.

V.S. Sivakumar, MLA and former Health Minister, who inaugurated the programme, said communicable diseases and lifestyle diseases were the biggest health challenges in these times.