Mundhe effect? Idli replaces vada pav in Mumbai school canteens

Dubai: Maharashtra’s food safety drive is reaching school canteens, with schools in Mumbai removing fried snacks and aerated drinks and promoting healthier food choices for children.

Schools run by the Archdiocesan Board of Education (ABE) have removed vada pav and samosas from their menus. They have been replaced with idli, dosa, poha, sheera and upma (traditional Indian breakfast dishes). Other fried foods have also been dropped, while aerated drinks have been banned.

Why this change?

The new options offer lighter alternatives to vada pav and other fried snacks. Idli is steamed, while dosa, poha, sheera, and upma can be prepared with less oil. They can provide children with energy and nutrients without the higher fat content associated with deep-fried foods.

Idli is generally considered a healthier choice than vada pav because it is steamed rather than deep-fried and contains less fat. In another change, buttermilk has replaced cola and other soft drinks in some school canteens.

The changes follow a Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warning against selling junk food on school premises. The state School Education Department later asked schools across Maharashtra to follow the Food Safety and Standards (Safe food and balanced diets for children in school) Regulations, 2020.

According to reports, the move is part of a wider food safety campaign led by FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe, who took charge in May. The department has stepped up inspections of restaurants, hotels, food manufacturers and other businesses. More than 1,100 inspections and raids have reportedly been carried out during the first two months of the campaign.

The crackdown has also extended to major food chains and online grocery warehouses. The FDA suspended the licences of four Domino’s outlets in Maharashtra following hygiene violations. It also suspended permits at 12 warehouses linked to Eternal, Swiggy and Zepto after inspections reportedly found cockroaches, rodent droppings and other hygiene concerns.

Rules extend beyond school gates.

The school measures extend beyond canteens. Schools have been asked to ensure that foods high in fat, sugar and salt, known as HFSS foods, are not sold within 50 metres of their premises.

Schools must report vendors that fail to follow the rules to the FDA. In rural areas, schools can approach gram panchayats and sarpanchs.

Mundhe has directed officials to implement the order within a week and organise awareness programmes for principals and food committee members.

In Mumbai, the Education Department and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation held an awareness programme for about 900 representatives from government and private schools, as well as 50 midday meal suppliers.

Schools change menus and tiffin advice.

At Poorna Prajna School in Dahisar, deep-fried food has been removed from the canteen menu. Principal Arun Dubey said the school had previously monitored the reuse of cooking oil but had now decided to ban deep-fried items.

Schools are also encouraging parents to make healthier choices for children’s tiffin boxes. Sacred Heart School in Santacruz has advised parents to avoid junk food, packaged juices, and fried items, and to send freshly cooked food in stainless steel boxes. DAV Public School in Thane has issued similar advice.

Sri Ma Vidyalaya in Thane has replaced soft drinks with buttermilk. Podar Education Network has also re-shared its healthy food guidelines with parents and replaced cakes and sweets at birthday celebrations with fresh fruit.

Parents have largely welcomed the changes, although some have called for similar restrictions on shops and food vendors outside school premises.

The measures show how Maharashtra’s food safety campaign is extending beyond restaurants and food businesses to the food children buy and eat at school.

 With inputs from Agencies