How to Implement High Court Order on Junk Foods in Schools?

 How to Implement High Court Order on Junk Foods in Schools?

Health of kids is the utmost concern of any society and its future. There is debate in the society whether to ban junk foods or not? Should we debate this point?

My question to the junk food manufactures and their shareholders and employees is – what should be the diet of your own kid – junk food or smart snacks? What they should eat, when they are in school or out of home or even at home? Are you keen to play with their health to save your own job?

Is health of your kids trade-able commodities - to make profit by someone else at the cost of health of your kids? If your answer is in favor of health of your kids like every concerned parents, in that case in place of arguing and resisting demand for good food for kids, you must spend time and energy to upgrade the products in the interest of kids of any society.

When Junk food manufactures can follow guidelines in US, why they can’t follow in India and in other countries.

USDA recently published practical, science-based nutrition standards for snack foods and beverages sold to children at school during the school day. The standards, required by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 in USA, will allow schools to offer healthier snack foods to children, while limiting junk foods. If we are demand the same in India, is there anything wrong with it? Let us learn from others experience and mistakes. 

According to USDA, after the ban on junk food in schools, the health of today’s school environment continues to improve. in USA, Students across the country are now offered healthier school lunches with more fruits, vegetables and whole grains. The Smart Snacks in School standards will build on those healthy advancements and ensure that kids are only offered tasty and nutritious foods during the school day. Smart Snacks in School also support efforts by school food service staff, school administrators, teachers, parents and the school community, all working hard to instill healthy habits in students. 

Learning from US experience:

They have graded the nutritional requirements as per the age of the kids.

• Primary school
• Middle school
• High school

My request to authorities in India is, please do not look at shortcut, do not come under pressure from junk food manufacturers. Employment and investment at the cost of health of Kids in India is not a sensible argument. Stricter control is required for primary and middle schools, because kids are not able to make right choices. Due to their literacy level and temptation towards attractive packaging, kids get influenced towards junk food. When adults are also buying junk, so how we can assume that kids can make sensible choice.

Freedom of choice argument is misleading:

Very often it is argued that we must give choice to consumer because they are the best judge. I do not believe in theory. When well-educated adults consumer tobacco products or cigarettes or alcohol, on what ground you may argue that their decision is right, logical and good for them, their families’ and societies. 

In fact, they have become slave of their own addiction and now due to lack of will power they are finding it difficult for themselves and feeling helpless in coming out of their slavery. We must continue to educate people about side effects of bad food.

The only entity which benefits from these bad habits are manufacturers of these junk products. Every one suffers and in turn society suffers. Government will spend more money on health care in place of education. We must not allow choice in such situations where health and safety of people, food safety, environmental pollution in any form, quality of education, etc.  are involved, where society at large is sufferer. 

Food Safety Authority and Education department must work together:

It will be interesting to read the Joint letter from US Secretary for Agriculture and US Secretary for Education. It says, quote “We would also like to take this opportunity to brief you on another critical element of our joint efforts to promote a healthy school environment and to request your support. In order to implement additional mandates by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently published the “Smart Snacks in School” standards for all foods sold in school outside the school meals programs. These are practical, science-based standards for foods sold in vending machines and à la carte lines — standards that make the healthy choice the easy choice for students.” unquote.

It will be interesting to note how various departments will work together for the welfare and health for kids in schools. I hope this time there will not be ego clashes between departments when it comes to health of kids in India.

What will be the role of Industry Associations?

Whether they will support public health and school kids welfare or they will work hard to protect profit of their members at the cost of public health of their nation. As a citizen, please keep close watch on them. It will be interesting to see what will happen in coming days.

Highlights of the “Smart Snacks in School” nutrition standards include:

• More of the foods we should encourage. Like the new school meals, the standards require healthier foods, including more whole grains; low-fat dairy products; fruits and vegetables; and leaner protein.

• Less of the foods we should avoid. The standards require food items that are lower in fat, sugar, and sodium and provide more of the nutrients children need.

• Targeted standards. The standards allow variation by age group for factors such as portion size and caffeine content. 

• Flexibility for important traditions. Parents may still send their children to school with homemade lunches, or treats for activities such as birthday parties, holidays, and other celebrations, and schools can continue traditions such as fund-raisers and bake sales.

• Reasonable limitations on when and where the standards apply. Standards affect only foods that are sold on the school campus during the school day. Foods sold at after-school sports events or other activities will not be subject to these requirements.

• Flexibility for State and local communities. The standards allow for significant local and regional autonomy by establishing only minimum requirements for schools. States and schools that have stronger standards will be able to maintain their own policies.

• Since the new standards become effective in the 2014-15 school year, schools have ample time to make any changes that the standards require.

US has prescribed the guidelines and Nutrition standard for food in school canteens:

Any food sold in schools must:

• Be a “whole grain-rich” grain product; or

• Have as the first ingredient a fruit, a vegetable, a dairy product, or a protein food; or

• Be a combination food that contains at least ¼ cup of fruit and/or vegetable; or

• Contain 10% of the Daily Value (DV) of one of the nutrients of public health concern in the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (calcium, potassium, vitamin D, or dietary fiber).*

According to USDA, Foods offered in canteens must also meet several nutrient requirements

Calorie limits:

•      Snack items: ≤ 200 calories

•      Entrée items: ≤ 350 calories

Sodium limits:

•      Snack items: ≤ 230 mg

•      Entrée items: ≤ 480 mg

Fat limits:

•      Total fat : ≤35% of calories

•      Saturated fat : < 10% of calories

•      Trans fat: zero grams

Sugar limit:

•      ≤ 35% of weight from total sugars in foods

Nutrition Standards for Beverages:

All schools may sell:

• Plain water (with or without carbonation)
• Unflavored low fat milk
• Unflavored or flavored fat free milk and milk alternatives permitted by NSLP/SBP
• 100% fruit or vegetable juice and
• 100% fruit or vegetable juice diluted with water (with or without carbonation), and no added sweeteners.
• Elementary schools may sell up to 8-ounce portions, while middle schools and high schools may sell up to 12-ounce portions of milk and juice. There is no portion size limit for plain water.

Beyond this, the standards allow additional “no calorie” and “lower calorie” beverage options for high school students.

• No more than 20-ounce (600 ml) portions of Calorie-free, flavored water (with or without carbonation); and (1 US fl oz = 29.5735 ml).
• Other flavored and/or carbonated beverages that are labeled to contain < 5 calories per 8 fluid ounces or ≤ 10 calories per 20 fluid ounces.
• No more than 12-ounce (360 ml)  portions of Beverages with ≤ 40 calories per 8 fluid ounces (240 ml), or ≤ 60 calories per 12 fluid ounces. Example: Carbonated Soft drinks contains 44 calories per 100 ml, it means these products are not allowed.

Accompaniments

• Accompaniments such as cream cheese, salad dressing and butter must be included in the nutrient profile as part of the food item sold.
• This helps control the amount of calories, fat, sugar and sodium added to foods by accompaniments, which can be significant.

The way forward:

In my view, 90 days’ time is good enough to draft the guidelines for school canteen to prohibit junk food. Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education should set up a joint committee to issue the guidelines which should cover all the schools in the country. Experiences from other countries are available on internet. Local governments can make suitable modification in recipes to meet taste requirements but within the guidelines. There are also advertisement guidelines for Junk food so that kids cannot be influences by indirect means by junk food manufacturers’.

I hope concerned authorities will consider holistic approach to protect health of India and her future. Do send you feedback and suggestions.

Feel free to forward to concerned departments and school of your kids.