Mid-Day Meal: FSSAI Urges Schools To Register Under ‘Eat Right Campus’

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), responsible for ensuring food safety, is taking steps to ensure the quality of mid-day meals served to children in schools in Bengal.

The FSSAI) is taking action in response to concerns raised in the state about the quality of food provided during mid-day meals at schools. FSSAI is instructing its food safety officers to urge schools to register for the ‘Eat Right Campus’ program. This will allow them to monitor whether schools follow proper hygiene and quality standards while preparing meals.

A recent incident involved students at a school in Birbhum district falling ill after consuming a mid-day meal in which a snake was found. Similarly, at a primary school in Malda, a dead rat, and a lizard were found in the mid-day meal. In light of these incidents, FSSAI is taking steps to ensure the safety and quality of food served to children in schools.

The director of the Eastern and North-Eastern Region of FSSAI, BS Acharya, added that they are asking their food safety officers to request schools to register under the 'Eat Right Campus' program. If schools have outsourced the preparation of meals to private agencies, the officers are instructed to speak to the schools so that the agencies can register under the program.

Eat Right Campus Registration

The process of schools getting registered under the ‘Eat Right Campus’ program can be explained as follows:

• First, schools should register themselves online at www.fssai.gov.in/eatrightschool
• Second, the school can nominate health and wellness ambassadors or teams, which can be school teachers or parents, to take an online certification program to be certified by FSSAI. These certified teams will drive various safe food and nutrition initiatives.
• Third, Eat Right activities will be organized, and fourth, the program will be monitored and evaluated using an ‘Eat Right Matrix’. Finally, schools will be awarded an ‘Eat Right’ certificate based on their performances.
• To register with FSSAI, you can either apply for a basic registration or a state/central license, depending on the size of your food business. The process of food registration online involves filling out an application form, submitting necessary documents and paying the required fees. If you are unsure about the registration process or need assistance, you can contact a legal service provider like Vakilsearch who are registered FSSAI consultants for guidance and support.

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