FSSAI issues draft guidelines for restricting High Fat foods in schools & nearby areas
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 7, 2015
Following the directions of the Delhi High Court in a PIL filed by Uday Foundation about the harmful effects of Junk foods in school children, the FSSAI has come up with draft guidelines to restrict/limit the availability of such foods in schools and nearby areas.
Following directions from the Delhi High Court in a writ petition filed by Uday Foundation, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has now come up with draft guidelines for making available ‘Wholesome, Nutritious, Safe and Hygienic Food’ to School Children. This is the first step of the consultative process following which these draft guidelines would be converted to regulations. The guidelines have been divided into two parts, namely;
The Writ Petition in Delhi High Court
The writ petition was filed in 2010 by Uday Foundation, about the important issue relating to easy availability of junk food and carbonated drinks to children and the harmful effects they might have on children consuming them. The petition sought a ban on both junk food and carbonated drinks in schools and initiation of measures to develop a comprehensive school canteen policy with emphasis on health and nutrition.
The FSSAI under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare filed an affidavit in the court stating the following,
The FSSAI submitted the draft guidelines to the court following which the court directed the FSSAI to convert these guidelines into regulation within a time frame. The FSSAI has thus put these draft guidelines in the public domain.
Summary of the Draft Guidelines
The draft guidelines lay down the following major points.
The guidelines also contain various other items such as listing the nutritional value, procurement, preparation, storage etc.
The Delhi High court had also directed CBSE to take a decision on whether these conditions be made part of the conditions for affiliation.
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