After CBSE schools introduced sugar and oil boards to develop healthy eating habits in school children, the Ministry of Education (MoE) is also trying to follow the same path.
The Education Ministry announced today (August 7) that the office canteen of the Ministry of Education will now only feature healthy snacking options.
As per the information shared by the Ministry of Education, the canteen menu will feature light, nutritious, and energy-packed meals. All sort of deep fried food items such as samosas, pakoras, and jalebis will be removed. The aim is to ensure that all employees remain active, healthy, focused throughout the day, and are able to practice a healthier lifestyle in general. The Ministry is hoping that this will also help in decreasing the chances of employees falling ill.
“Inspired by the appeal of Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji, a major change has been implemented in the canteen of the Ministry of Education located at Shastri Bhawan,” the Ministry of Education (MoE) stated. “Now, the canteen menu will feature light, nutritious, and energy-packed meals instead of samosas, pakoras, and jalebis. The aim is to ensure that all employees remain active, healthy, focused throughout the day, and stay free from illness.”
Recently, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) directed all affiliated schools to establish “sugar boards” to monitor and reduce the sugar intake of children. This was done as CBSE noted that there has been a significant increase in Type 2 diabetes among children, a condition once primarily seen in adults, over the past decade.
A few days after asking schools to set up ‘sugar boards’, CBSE also urged schools to introduce ‘Oil Boards’, that refer to posters or digital displays installed in shared spaces such as cafeterias, lobbies, and meeting rooms within school premises. These boards are designed to raise awareness among students and staff about the negative impacts of high-fat foods and excessive oil consumption, while also serving as daily visual cues to encourage healthier dietary choices.