The Right to Education (RTE) Food Programme, launched by the Government of India, is meant to provide nutritious meals to school-going children. Though the programme has been successful in increasing the enrolment of children in schools, there are still many questions about whether the food it provides is healthy or not.
The programme has been lauded for providing more than 6 crore meals to children every year. The meals are meant to meet the recommended daily allowance of proteins, macronutrients and micronutrients for growing children. However, a closer look at the food reveals that it may not be as nutritious as it claims to be.
For starters, a majority of RTE meals are cooked with oil that is not healthy for growing kids. In some places, there have been reports of cooking oil being reused multiple times, resulting in unhealthy levels of fat in the food. Even though the government has made efforts to increase the availability of fortified foods like fortified rice and wheat flour under this programme, these are usually limited in quantity and sometimes not available due to supply chain issues.
Also, much of the RTE food is based on traditional recipes which may be high in calories but low in vitamins and minerals essential for growth and development. Additionally, fresh vegetables and fruits are rarely included in these meals. This means that children often miss out on essential nutrients such as Vitamin A and C which are important for their overall health and well-being.
Moreover, there have been reports of poor hygiene standards at many schools where RTE meals are served which can further reduce their nutritional value. In some cases, proper temperature control has also been found wanting thus leading to further deterioration of health benefits associated with these meals.
Conclusion
In conclusion, while RTE food may provide much needed sustenance to school-going children across India it may not be as healthy as it claims to be due to various factors such as lack of quality cooking oil used, limited availability of fortified foods and poor hygiene standards at many schools where these meals are served.
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