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Vashi2Panvel.Com: Navi Mumbai: August 17: Remember eating Vada Pav in the school canteen with that li’l three bucks when you were school? Times have not changed much since. Even today kids hop down to satisfy their taste buds even if they have carried homemade lunch with them. The kids being unaware of the risks associated with these deep-fried junk food just grab anything, which appeals to them. But these foods can do a good amount of harm to the children.

As the guardian is not present with the kid in school some basic food standard has to be maintained in them. Health factors must also be considered while planning the menu or assigning a caterer. We take a look at Navi Mumbai schools and survey what their canteens serve.

The St.Joseph group of schools, which has branches in many places in Navi Mumbai like Panvel, Kalamboli and Kharghar has a range of foodstuffs like Vada pav, samosa, upma, south Indian dishes and other Indian dishes like puri bhaji, pulav etc. CKT School, Panvel also provides all these food items along with Chinese noodles and rice recipes. Apeejay School in Kharghar, Nerul also offers the above-mentioned items in their canteen.

None of these foodstuffs appear healthy. So, should the parents conveniently allow their wards to eat in the canteen especially during the rains? Child specialists and nutritionists in the city opine against the food provided by school canteens.

“The kids should not be served such oily food as it is evidently quite unhealthy for them. The school authorities should be more careful,” says Dr. Savita Daruvala, a private practitioner in Vashi. “They should be given less oily stuff like upma, poha and idlis. South-Indian dishes are also a good alternative to these oily samosa and wadas. Idlis provide a good nutrient base for the students,” she avers.

“The kids should be given proper diet and it is the responsibility of school authorities to ensure that the canteen food is healthy. The foodstuffs should be properly checked by a dietician and the hygiene should be maintained properly especially during these rains,” says Dr.Rewatkar, a dietician in Airoli.

Smriti Mishra