MUMBAI: Government and semi-government meetings in Maharashtra will soon get a healthier menu, with the state Cabinet deciding to serve balanced, nutritious food items instead of relying largely on conventional unhealthy snacks and refreshments.
The Maharashtra government’s move is being seen as part of a wider push towards inculcating healthier eating habits and preventing lifestyle-related diseases.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis chaired the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, where the decision to serve healthy and nutritious food items was taken. These items will be served in government and semi-government-run canteens, meetings, functions and training programmes. Interestingly, at Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting, such healthy food items were also served as part of the exercise.
The Cabinet note stated that all respective departments of the state government will be instructed to take action with the aim of making a healthy lifestyle and nutritious eating habits a part of the daily life of government employees.
It stated that healthy options will be included while serving snacks or meals in meetings, programmes, training institutes, conferences and canteens. Priority will be given to nutritious foods such as seasonal fruits, bananas, apples, guava, papaya, boiled eggs, boiled pulses, poha, idli-sambar, hot milk on demand, sugar-free green tea, nachni bread, jowar-bajra bread, buttermilk, salad, various vegetables, pulses and sugarcane juice.
“Along with reducing the amount of oily and highly processed foods in snacks, local and traditional foods with nutritious ingredients will be encouraged. It has been suggested to include pulses, sugarcane, leafy vegetables, buttermilk, salad, vegetables, and balanced grains as required in meals. It will be made mandatory to include healthy menus in the new catering agreements of the concerned offices,” the note reads.
It further stated that it has also been suggested that the concerned government and semi-government institutions should discuss the health status with their employees before properly implementing this decision.
“The awareness programme to inculcate healthy eating habits should be held with the participation of government employees. The guidelines should be prepared to provide a balanced diet menu. While preparing this guideline, the National Institute of Nutrition guidelines should be used. The healthy snacks and food items will help to reduce the amount of oily food items in snacks, and nutritious food items like dal, urad, green vegetables, buttermilk, salad, and pulao are also being included in the meals,” read the Cabinet note.
