Maneka Gandhi to ban junk food

Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi plans to propose a ban on unhealthy or ‘junk’ food in school canteens across the country. This move is being proposed to improve nutrition among school-going children, and to make available good quality, safe food to students in school canteens’, said officials from the WCD ministry. The idea is also to specify what constitutes ‘junk’ food and making children aware why they are harmful,” said an official.

Mrs Gandhi plans to discuss the matter with the Health and Human Resource Development (HRD) ministries and chalk our a comprehensive plan as to how to plan and implement this objective in phased manner in schools across the country.There has been a repeated request by the several NGOs and others for the Food Safety and Security of India (FSSAI) to come out with comprehensive guidelines for regulating sale of junk food and aerated drinks in and around school premises in the country.