The Maharashtra state government has issued new food safety norms to be followed by schools across the state. The objective behind this is to make sure that school students have access to safe and healthy meals at their schools. There are many health concerns related to school children regarding food served to them. So the government wants to strengthen the monitoring process to make sure that there are no incidences of food contamination and other food-borne diseases.
According to these norms, schools will be required to prepare healthy and hygienic meals for students by following certain food safety and hygiene norms. It will be the responsibility of the schools to keep their kitchen, cafeteria, and food storage clean and in good condition. The officials of the schools will have to check if the schools are adhering to the guidelines or not.
Raw material, food handling process, and safe drinking water have been given special attention in these guidelines. Schools should try to obtain food material from authorized sources. No expired or substandard products should be used by the schools for preparing meals for students. School staff responsible for the preparation of meals must maintain personal hygiene.
Moreover, the authorities have directed the district health and education officials to conduct regular audit and awareness programs for educating the school authorities, kitchen workers, and students about the food safety procedures.
According to the government, such preventive actions and inspections would minimize the health hazards for the students, thereby creating a safer environment for their learning and studies.
The parents have appreciated this step and stated that such monitoring of food served at schools is necessary for securing the health of their children. The educationists have also stressed on the significance of food safety procedures as far as the overall well-being and performance of students is concerned.
By enacting such new regulations, the state of Maharashtra intends to improve the food safety standards at schools and create more responsibility of the educational institutions.
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