The management of various Government schools serving Mid-day meals can no longer escape the responsibility of appointing a teacher to taste meals before they are served to children in Chhattisgarh. The Central Government in its detailed guidelines issued on Mid-day meal scheme to all States and Union Territories (UTs) has made it mandatory that the food be tasted by a teacher just before the meals are served to children.
This apart, the teacher is also required to maintain a record of tasting in a Register. The School Management Committee (SMC) member should also taste the food on a rotation basis along with the teacher before it is distributed to the children, it stated. The States/UTs must consider engaging CSIR Institutes/NABl accredited laboratories and FSSAI accredited laboratories for undertaking testing of samples of MDM for food safety and contamination (microbial and chemical), the guidelines stated.
The guidelines also made it mandatory that under procurement of oil, pulses and condiments only packed dals, salt, spices, condiments and oil with AGMARK quality symbol should be purchased. Any ingredient being sold loose should never be bought. The packaging and expiry date of the ingredients should be checked, it stated.
In the kitchens of Mid-day Meal bore water/tap water/hand-pump water is being used (in general) for cooking, drinking and washing. Water needs to be tested for chemical as well as microbiological contamination. The testing of water can be done in convergence with the concerned water supply/Public Health Engineering departments of the States/UTs, the guidelines mentioned.
The Mid-day Meal (MDM) scheme is a Centrally sponsored scheme which serves hot cooked Mid-day meal to school children studying in Classes I-VIII of Government, Government-aided schools, Special Training centres (STC) and Madarasas and Maktabs supported under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan. The MDMs guidelines envisage to provide cooked Mid-day meal with 450 calories and 12 g of protein to every child at primary level and 700 calories and 20 g of protein at upper primary level.
This energy and protein requirement for a primary child comes from cooking 100 g of rice/flour, 20 g pulses and 50 g vegetables and 5 g oil, and for an upper primary child it comes from 150 g of rice/flour, 30 g of pulses and 75 g of vegetables and 7.5 g of oil. The Mid-day meal should contain adequate nutrients and should be, palatable, hygienic, and operationally feasible. These food safety guidelines are for school level kitchens only, where the Mid-day meal is cooked for children.
Quality assurance of Mid -day meal and food safety should be an integral part of food handling procedures at the school kitchen. The food provided through these kitchens should be nutritious, free from food adulterants, contamination pathogens, artificial non food grade colours, and additives and adhere to food safety and quality norms.
Only “double fortified salt” should be used for cooking Mid-day meals. Food grains should be stored in standard bins while, plastic food grade containers are ideal for storage of dals, spices, condiments and other ingredients Procurement of perishable raw materials such as vegetables, fruits and other perishable food commodities should be procured fresh and storing for longer time/duration should be avoided.
Perishable items should not be stored in plastic bags as these get spoilt quickly due to lack of transpiration. Such items have to be stored away from sunlight, in a cool place. Zero energy cool chambers are a low cost alternative to store horticulture produce. This is an on-farm storage chamber, for fresh fruits, vegetables to extend their marketability. Due to their high moisture content fruits and vegetables have very shortlife and are liable to spoil. The zero energy cool chambers can be constructed easily with materials like brick, sand, bamboo, khas khas/straw, gunny bag etc.
As mandated under MDM scheme, food grains are provided by Food Corporation of India (FCI). Food grains are to be allocated bi-annually by the Department of School Education and literacy with the concurrence of Department of Food and Public Distribution for primary and upper primary school level separately.
FCI is to ensure continuous availability of adequate quantity of food grains, which will be in any case not less than of Fair Average Quality (FAQ) in its Depots. The FCI will appoint a Nodal Officer for each State to take care of various problems in supply of food grains under the scheme. Temperature of the Mid-day meal when served should be maintained at 65°C.
Microorganisms multiply at a fast pace when the food is kept at temperature between 5°C and 60°C which represents the danger zone due to thermophilic and thermoduric nature. Therefore, food should be served to children immediately after being cooked. Vegetarian and non-vegetarian items should be segregated. Fridge wherever available should be cleaned at least once a week to remove stains, ice particles and food particles. The temperature in the fridge should be in the range of 4°C — 6°C.
Requisite number of CCHs should be deputed at school level for the distribution of food from centralized kitchen for the distribution of Mid-day meal with proper gear (gloves, apron and caps etc). The school management should be encouraged to draw on the support of the community. Gram Panchayats and School Management Committees/Village
Education Committees may be approached for involving community members in regular inspections, on a rotation basis, to help the school management in ensuring efficient quality cooking, serving and cleaning operations. Support of the community members, including mothers’ groups, should also be solicited to ensure that children wash their hands with soap before eating, use clean plates and glasses, avoid littering and wastage of food, and rinse their hands and mouth after eating.