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A possible shift in policy from serving cooked meals to children in schools to giving them packaged food has evoked concern from senior scientists, medical professionals, educationists, nutritionists, public health experts and civil society organisations
Food rights activists are worried over reports that the Indian government is considering replacing cooked meals with packaged foods and biscuits in its midday meal and Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) programmes. The official argument is that this shift will improve efficiency and help overcome fiscal and managerial constraints faced in the implementation of the programmes. Reports also point to the role of the packaged food and biscuit industries that see potential for furthering their business interests through government programmes. The proposed policy shift has evoked concern from senior scientists, medical professionals, educationists, nutritionists, public health experts and civil society organisations.
The objective of the midday meal scheme is to increase enrolment and ensure better nutrition among children. Several studies have demonstrated the positive impact of midday meals on school enrolment. But the extent of the impact on children’s health and nutrition is largely dependent on whether the meal that is provided is supplementary or a substitute for a full meal. The concerns persist despite Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development M A A Fatmi stating in Parliament recently that serving biscuits as part of the midday meal scheme was not in the interest of schoolchildren. The minister said he had received a proposal last year from biscuit manufacturers for the serving of “biscuits in place of hot cooked midday meals”. “Health and education are the fundamental rights of every child and it is imperative that the State and civil society ensure that these services are available, accessible and of good quality. Data from the National Nutritional Monitoring Bureau and the National Family Health Survey 3 indicate that child malnutrition continues to be a serious concern,” say academicians Rajib Dasgupta and Rama V Baru from the Centre of Social Medicine and Community Health, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. In a column published in a national daily, Dasgupta and Baru say several civil society alliances, professional networks like the Indian Association for Preventive and Social Medicine (IAPSM) and academics came together in a consultation that was initiated by the University School Resource Network project at Jawaharlal Nehru University to unanimously oppose the idea of replacing cooked meals with packaged foods. A review of available evidence showed the value of cooked meals over dry rations or biscuits. Several studies have indicated that not only is the quality variable but the nutritional impact of dry snacks is also questionable. A fresh meal offers a better range of nutrients and is less costly in terms of per rupee nutrient yield, compared to packaged food. In response to a public interest litigation on the right to food, the Supreme Court had, in 2001, stated that every child was entitled to a cooked meal that had 300 calories and 8-12 gm of protein per day for a minimum of 200 days a year. Malnourished children were entitled to 600 calories and 16-20 gm of protein. The government claims over 90% enrolment through the introduction of the midday meal scheme. Fatmi said that, of these, 82.5% were in government schools. “We are offering incentives, including cooked midday meals to ensure universal enrolment of children in rural areas in the 6-14 age-group.” He added that since the launch of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, all out-of-school children in the 6-14 age-group had been brought into the fold of elementary education from the figure of 32 million in 2001-02. On complaints about the quality of food being served to students under the scheme, Fatmi apprised the Rajya Sabha that state governments had been asked to look into such cases and initiate corrective measures. The other benefits of cooked meals are that they address “classroom hunger” and also provide protection against acute hunger among children in drought-affected areas. A wholesome cooked meal makes school attractive to the child and, along with improved enrolment and attendance, helps the learning process. Children learn to sit and eat together and that contributes to breaking caste and class barriers. Despite the overwhelming evidence regarding the positive contribution and demand for such schemes, however, they are not without their problems. These are related to resources, infrastructure, problems with delivery, and issues of quality and quantity. Different states have different experiences related to the cooked meal programme that need to be properly studied. Source: The Indian Express, March 21, 2008
The Indian Express, March 18, 2008
IANS, March 17, 2008
www.righttofoodindia.org, March 2008
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