Comprehensive Guidelines for Nutritional Adequacy and Food Safety in Schools

1. Nutrition and Food Safety Group Recommendations

2. Areas of concern • Ensuring nutritional adequacy • Ensuring Food Safety • Ensuring Palatability • Achieving Health Outcomes • Approach Proposed is to develop Standards and measurable criteria for each of the above four areas • This approach provides standardization but also flexibility and room for constant improvements • Enables all stakeholders to understand what is expected of them and to monitor support to achieve

3. NUTRITION STANDARDS • Food served on the plate has recommended amounts of calories and proteins • Salt used is iodized and fortified • Half of daily recommendation of greens are met from the Greens • Diversity of food ensures enough protective food- essential fatty acids, micronutrients etc • Inclusion of local available resources • Education and awareness to teachers, children SMCs.

4. SAFETY STANDARD • Water has been tested for potability • Hygiene in process of food preparation, distribution and serving • Hygiene and safe practices in process of food procurement and storage • Personal hygiene of children (ensuring hand washing) • Process of preparation and distribution ensures freedom from microbial contamination • Awareness regarding safe practices involving fire safety, pests and rodent control processes

5. PALATABILITY STANDARDS • Sample satisfaction survey • Food wastage Minimal

6. HEALTH OUTCOME STANDARDS • Aggregate scores of BMI (Body Mass Index) and anemia at Class room, Block and District level (Facilitate mapping of Nutritionally Stressed Regions) • Nutrition counseling of families of moderately and severely malnourished children • Extra supplementation required for catch up is provided • Village Health and sanitation committee involved in facilitation and outcome monitoring

7. Standards and measurable criteria

8. Hygiene in process of food preparation, distribution and serving Example Maximum score is 5 and minimum 0 Criteria Score Food handlers observe personnel hygiene 1 Some standard procedures are followed 2 in preparation of food. Serving with clean ladles and not with 1 bare hands Food is kept covered free from flies 1 while distribution and serving Monitoring team must spent a day in the facility and observe the entire process from preparation to serving On other days VHSNC (village Health Sanitation Nutrition Committee) )would facilitate/ monitor

9. Process ensures freedom from bacterial contamination Maximum score for the standard is 5 min minimum is 0 Criteria Score All food is served hot and well cooked 1 All food is served within 2 hours of cooking 1 All food is served using clean utensils and plate 1 Water for drinking is boiled or chlorinated 1 Microbiological testing of food sample taken 1 at consumption point is desirable

10. FACILITATION AND MONITORING • Monitoring to be done by external agencies • VHSNC (village Health Sanitation Nutrition Committee) to be involved, educated and motivated to facilitate this • Nearby technical support agencies may be designated help each block achieve the standard • Department must monitor actual progress in achieving the nutrient and safety outcomes