The Maharashtra and Karnataka governments, in that order, took the first crucial step last week to ensure childhood nutrition by issuing orders to ban deep-fried and unhealthy foods in school canteens and within a 50-metre radius of all schools in their states.

Accordingly, there can be no sale, distribution or even advertising of what has come to be called HFSS foods (food items high in fat or trans fat, sugar and salt), which includes chips, wafers, vadas, vada pavs, samosas, cakes, some varieties of biscuits, sugary drinks, energy drinks and so on, that are loosely called ‘junk foods’.

The Food and Drug Administration in these states indicated that school managements would be held liable for enforcement and would be penalised........

© Free Press Journal