‘Encouraging healthy eating practices’: FSSAI identifies 35 Eat Right Schools in Pune

Since the last couple of years, FSSAI has embarked on a large-scale effort to transform the country’s food system to ensure safe, healthy, and sustainable food through the Eat Right India movement. The tagline Sahi Bhojan, Behtar Jeevan, forms the foundation of this movement.

Chaudhary said that under the Eat Right India nationwide movement, several initiatives have been included like Clean Street Food Hub, Eat Right School, and Eat Right Campus among others. “These are aimed at promoting environment-friendly food practices and habits and in the Western region we are in the process of carrying forward the movement,” Chaudhary added.

The Eat Right School programme aims at creating awareness about food safety, nutrition and hygiene among school children, and through them among the community at large. “Children are powerful change agents. Messages delivered to, and through children, have the potential to usher in behavioral change and a culture of safe and wholesome food. FSSAI has signed an MoU with the state education department under which all schools of Maharashtra will be certified as Eat Right Schools. The target is to complete more than 400 schools in the first phase and 35 schools have already been identified in Pune,” Chaudhary added.

Besides these initiatives, FSSAI-Western Region authorities have also provided hands-on training to more than 3000 Vendors on Food Safety and hygiene under the programme `Swachha Aahar Sankalp’ at Nagpur and Mumbai. “We have also launched a programme aimed at empowering women in India. The Connect scheme is particularly tailored to the needs and objectives of food businesses, owned and operated by SHG women. This scheme serves as a strategic framework to enhance the livelihood and employability prospects of these women by setting up ‘kitchens’ hence a ‘Dabba Service’ and ensuring adherence to healthy practices and compliance with food safety standards,” Chaudhary said.

Pune, Daund railway stations among 10 Eat Right Stations

Recently, Pune, Shivajingar, Chinchwad, and Daund were among ten railway stations that were designated as Eat Right Stations by the FSSAI and Food and Drug Administration FDA. Suresh Annapure, Joint Commissioner, Food, FDA- Pune division said that 10 railway stations have been designated as Eat Right Stations after a joint exercise with FSSAI. The certification is for two years and also includes Sainagar Shirdi railway station, Ahilyanagar railway station, Satara railway station, Miraj railway station and Kolhapur railway station. “Training is provided to food vendors to adhere to safe and hygienic cooking and handling practices,”Annapure added.