Junk food survey flags concerns

Study carried out in 125 schools across the country shows that while a majority are aware of prevalence of unhealthy food in the canteens, they don’t know how to tackle it

Following their junk food-healthy food awareness survey last month, the Early Childhood Association (ECA) has now conducted a second survey exclusively for schools. Results revealed that out of 125 schools across India that participated, most were aware of the prevalence of junk food in their canteens but lacked understanding of how to enforce change. Additionally, a majority of respondents indicated that they have little or no idea about where the food is outsourced from or the preparation conditions of the food in their school canteens.
 
Prompted by numerous inquiries from schools and parents seeking support for healthy food initiatives, the second survey aimed to comprehend the challenges confronted by schools and proffer solutions. The non-profit organisations, ECA and the Association for Primary Education and Research (APER) have published a book titled “Super Snacks,” accessible as a free resource on their website. Additionally, they have rewritten the classic tale of “Red Riding Hood” into “Red Riding Hood and the Wolf Who Liked Healthy Food,” which delves into how the wolf scrutinises Red Riding Hood’s choices to ensure only healthy food is selected by her for her grandmother.

75  percent of parents support strict rules against junk food sales. Representation pic

The ECA-APER’s “Say No to Junk” campaign urges schools to replace unhealthy treats like cakes and chocolates with fresh fruits for birthdays. They also advocate for stopping visits to places promoting unhealthy snacks. In their initial survey, 75 per cent of parents supported strict rules against junk food sales, while 48 per cent agreed schools should offer healthier options for birthday treats and 30 per cent disagreed.  Dr Swati Popar Vats, president of ECA-PAPER, shared insights, “Our health food campaign targets schools, parents, children, and policymakers. We aim to raise awareness about the importance of a healthy diet and highlight how unwittingly, we may contribute to unhealthy food habits.”

Vats added, “We found similar issues as parents being faced by schools like parents unable to send healthy snacks or the menu of school canteen is not completely healthy, so we have now come out with a support document for schools that has ideas and solutions for them to use. We have come out with songs, and stories for children so that schools can educate and encourage children to choose healthy. And for the issue of children not buying healthy food and preferring it to junk food in the canteen, we have convinced schools to reduce the junk content or gamify the selection so that children who choose healthy can get points. Overall, our second survey was aimed at creating awareness and awakening in schools about supporting healthy food habits.”

Recommendations by ECA-APER

>> Schools can educate parents about the ill effects of sugar
>> We cannot control what parents do at home but as an educational institution, we can control our birthday policies
>> Birthdays are about celebrating together so turn it into a Montessori birthday walk and instead of cakes and sweets replace it with fruit or distribute a book. 

Key findings from the

Perceived Healthiness
58 per cent of  view food from school’s canteens as healthy, while 17.4 per cent disagree

Junk food presence
72.1 per cent reported that school canteens offer 10-20 per cent junk food, with 14.7 per cent indicating over 40 per cent food falls in this category

Menu decision-makers
43.2 per cent attribute menu choices in school canteens to the canteen owners, indicating potential influence on food quality and options

Junk food consumption frequency
55.9 per cent suggest allowing junk food once a week, while 42.3 per cent prefer limiting it to once a month.

Outsourcing and awareness
80 per cent claiming on-site cooking, 19 per cent admit to outsourcing. 62.5 per cent are unaware of source or condition of outsourced food

Type of oil used
36.6 per cent have no knowledge about the oil used, while 23.9 per cent and 18.3 per cent believe mustard oil and groundnut oil are commonly used

Nutritional concerns
33.3 per cent expressed uncertainty about whether the food provided meets students’ nutritional needs

58%
No of respondents in survey who view canteen food as healthy

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