The Maharashtra public health department has issued a significant directive mandating the availability of healthy foods and beverages in all government canteens and official events to combat rising non-communicable diseases and promote better dietary habits.
Key Points
- Maharashtra public health department mandates healthy food and beverages in all government canteens and official events.
- The directive aims to reduce ultra-processed food consumption and promote items low in sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats.
- Menu guidelines, based on ICMR-NIN and FSSAI, suggest options like millet khichdi, sprouts, seasonal fruits, and traditional beverages.
- New catering contracts must include provisions for healthy menus, with inspection committees and nodal officers ensuring implementation.
- The initiative seeks to combat rising non-communicable diseases and improve health awareness among government employees.
Healthy foods and beverages like millet khichdi, sprouts curry and solkadhi must be made available at all government canteens and in official meetings or events, an order issued by the Maharashtra public health department on Wednesday said.
The directive, issued through a Government Resolution (GR), also called for gradual reduction in ultra-processed foods and items containing excessive sugar, salt and unhealthy fats.
New Healthy Menu Guidelines
The "healthy menu" will be designed as per the guidelines of the Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR-NIN) and Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) with emphasis on food low in salt, sugar and oil.
The menu guidelines accompanying the GR suggested seasonal fruits, roasted or boiled chickpeas and peanuts, sprouts, vegetable poha, idli-sambar, vegetable upma, millets khichdi, boiled eggs, nuts and seeds for short meetings and refreshments.
Suggested beverages include coconut water, buttermilk, solkadhi, unsweetened milk, lemon water with limited sugar or jaggery, and unsweetened green or herbal tea.
Comprehensive Meal Options
For half-day or full-day programmes, the GR suggested a menu including jowar, bajra or ragi bhakri, multigrain chapati, hand-pounded or brown rice, dal or 'usal', leafy and seasonal vegetables cooked with limited oil, curd or buttermilk, salads, fruit instead of sweets, low-oil khichdi, vegetable pulao, paneer, sprouts-based curry, and properly cooked fish, chicken or mutton.
Ensuring Implementation and Oversight
Government departments have also been asked to include specific provisions for healthy menus in new food and catering contracts.
There will be a menu inspection committee to oversee the implementation of the order in departmental canteens, and a nodal officer will also be appointed.
There should be periodic audits of canteens in coordination with the Food and Drug Administration, the GR said. Catering and food procurement contracts must require that information about nutritional content of food items is displayed.
Addressing Public Health Concerns
The intention is to increase health awareness and help reduce risk factors for non-communicable diseases while improving efficiency and productivity, the order said.
The public health department cited the rising incidence of diabetes, hypertension, obesity, heart disease and other non-communicable diseases in the state as a serious public health concern, attributing it to changing lifestyles, sedentary work patterns, increasing stress, unbalanced diets and greater consumption of processed and ultra-processed foods.
The order applies to all Maharashtra government departments, directorates, commissioners' offices, district collectorates, Zilla Parishads, municipal corporations and municipalities, government training institutions, government-aided autonomous bodies and all government canteens.
