The Coimbatore district administration in Tamil Nadu has made it mandatory for schools with hostel facilities to register under the 'Eat Right School' program initiated by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). The FSSAI started this program with the goal of raising awareness about food safety, nutrition, and hygiene among school children and increasing awareness in the broader community through the students, according to a report by The New Indian Express.
Hostel staff in the district are being trained on how to prepare and serve quality food to hostel students through the Food Safety Training and Certification (FoSTaC) programme, with five schools in Coimbatore already having completed the training. This training ensures proper hygiene on the premises. Officials stated that the process for schools to obtain the 'Eat Right School' certificate takes approximately three to six months.
K Tamilselvan, FSSAI's designated officer for Coimbatore, said, “To begin with, the staff members including workers in the hostel kitchen area need to undergo FoSTaC training. Following this process, a group of teachers and parents of the students shall be nominated as the eat right wellness ambassadors who would be tasked to create awareness among the students,” as reported by The New Indian Express.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India's awareness campaign aims to sensitize students to the negative effects of consuming junk and fast food and educate them on the importance of consuming safe, unadulterated food. The district administration has made it mandatory for schools without hostel facilities but with a canteen for day scholars to obtain a hygiene certificate.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has called on other schools in the district to register for the Eat Right School program in order to obtain a certificate, as per the news report.
