The Delhi High Court on Friday granted three months time to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to frame and enforce guidelines for making available wholesome, nutritious and hygienic food to school children and restricting the sale of junk food in and around schools.
The Court allowed an application of FSSAI seeking extension of time following its March 17 judgment by which it had directed regulation of junk food consumption among school children through restrictions on the sale of foods high in fat, salt and sugar in and around schools.
A Division Bench, comprising Chief Justice G. Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath, asked FSSAI to create regulations within the time period. The Court had earlier accepted draft guidelines for restriction on junk food.
The Court had also directed the Central Board of Secondary Education to consider including compliance with the guidelines as a condition for schools for getting affiliation with it. Besides, directions were issued to the Delhi Government to consider issuing instructions to schools to follow the guidelines.
The judgment came on a public interest writ petition moved in 2010 by a non-government organisation, Uday Foundation, which raised the issue of easy availability of junk food and carbonated drinks to children and sought a ban on these food items in schools. Under the guidelines, food high in fat, salt and sugar cannot be sold within 50 metres of school premises.
The draft guidelines also suggested creation of a canteen policy and school health education programmes to educate students and parents about “ill-effects” of unhealthy food habits. In its judgment, the Court had refused to pass orders to the government on how to regulate the sale of junk food, while noting that the guidelines had been created by an expert panel.
The Court had also declined to define the term “junk food” after observing that the draft guidelines had not used the term “junk”, but had used the term, “high in fat, salt and sugar” (HFSS) foods. “When an expert body constituted for this very purpose and in performance of its statutory duties has framed the guidelines, without there being any specific challenge thereto, we do not consider appropriate on our part to tinker with it,” it said.
The guidelines provided a scientific background on how consumption of junk foods was linked with the growing non-communicable diseases such as obesity, diabetes and hypertension among children.
The judgment came on a public interest writ petition which raised the issue of easy availability of junk food and carbonated drinks and sought a ban on these food items in schools
