Unhygienic school canteen food poses risk to students

Parents demand Federal Directorate of Education take action to rectify the situation

ISLAMABAD: Students of public sector educational institutions in the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) have complained about the poor quality of meals they are provided in school and college canteens.

It has prompted their parents to demand that the authorities take action to improve the nutritional standard of the food being supplied in the canteens of schools and college operating under Federal Directorate of Education (FDE).

Parents say their children prefer to eat from school canteens rather than tale home-made lunches.

However, they expressed their concern over the quality of food available in school canteens and about the absence of proper checks and balances on canteen contractors, which poses a serious health risk for students.

Sabir Ali, the father of a student, said due to lack of proper monitoring, most school canteens serve unhealthy junk food.

While it attracts children due to their affordable price and eye-catching presentation, it does not mean they do not pose a threat to the health of children.

“These [food] items should be strictly checked for their hygienic condition and nutritious value,” Ali said,

Stringent checks are required in the case of fried food items as the oil used is often quite poor in quality and is not replaced for several days, said Jahanzaib, the father of another student.

He said this ultimately affects the health of children who suffer from food poisoning, infections, diarrhoea and other gastric diseases.

Samina Khan, the mother of a student, Ayaz, urged the administrators of her son’s school to take notice of this matter and ensure that hygienic conditions are maintained in the canteen.

Dr Hafiz Shafiq, a medical specialist and cardiologist, said that the poor quality food supplied in school canteens is the reason behind several diseases.

Studies have shown that strong bone formation occurs between the ages of six to 18-years-of-age and a healthy body requires at least 1,000 milligrammes (mg) of calcium per day.

In other words, a child who depends on milk for calcium should drink at least a litre of milk every day, he explained.

Three students at the secondary level, Saad, Niaz and Naveed said, "Canteen managers think only about their profits and pay no attention to students' health. The canteens are run by workers are who are least concerned about hygiene or the nutritious value of the food they serve.”

Qamar Zaman, an intermediate student, went a little further and said that the rising cost of meals was a matter of concern for most students who are only provided limited lunch money. He also noted that many students opt to eat at cafes near schools to meet their breakfast needs.

This is because there is no canteen supplying nutritious meals for them and that the canteen did not serve freshly cooked or warm food, he complained.

"People have forgotten the adage about a healthy mind in a healthy body and school canteens in government schools do not rise to supply healthy food with high nutritional value," said educationist Ahmad Ali.

He stressed that the Education Ministry should take steps to make school canteens supply nutritious food or hand over charge of the canteens to specialised nutrition companies. He added that prices of the meals should be affordable for all students, regardless of their financial backgrounds.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 4^th, 2019.