Lessons on safe food for Corporation school kids

“Children are most susceptible to food-borne diseases due to the lack of awareness and experimentation with different kinds of foods. 

The State government has therefore taken up the initiative to change behaviours and habits among school children under the ‘Catch them Young’ project,” said Mageswari Ravikumar, Deputy Commissioner (Education), Greater Chennai Corporation. 

Stating that the main objective is to educate them young, an official from the FSSAI said, “Messages delivered to and through children have the potential to usher in behavioural change and a culture of safe and wholesome food. We have taken up this project, which is based on a threepronged approach – at the School, State and National level. It is the responsibility of each state to introduce it in their schools.” 

From administering training to teachers or senior students to reviewing the curriculum, the programme hopes to cover every aspect of schools and ensure that every person is covered. 

“Besides content sharing through classroom programmes, other curricular activities including introducing training modules for school canteen and mess staff is also being taken up,” said an official, adding that initiatives will also be taken up to check the sale of food and drink products high in fat, salt or sugar (HFSS food). 

“Ensuring that children are provided safe and nutritious food is the need of the hour. The unsafe food they eat creates a vicious cycle of disease and malnutrition which affect all age groups, in particular the children,” said Nutritionist Sonia Jacob.