Explained: What Is 'Eat Right Campus' Tag Given By FSSAI

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has designated four police stations in the New Delhi district as 'Eat Right Campus' for delivering nutritious and wholesome meals to police employees at their canteens and mess on a daily basis, according to The Hindu.

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Barakhamba Road Police Station, Tilak Marg Police Station, Connaught Place Police Station, and Mandir Marg Police Station are the four police stations that have met the criteria for the FSSAI's five-star category certificate, making them the first in the country. Several government institutions, including colleges and hostels, have implemented the scheme since 2017.

What does the initiative entail?

Eat Right India is the main objective of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), a statutory organisation under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW). The mission's goal is to deliver nutritious meals to inhabitants of the country, which will help to reduce the burden of various lifestyle-related ailments.

The Department of Food Safety of the Delhi government, which is in charge of carrying out the effort in the capital, has developed a programme called 'Sehatmand Delhi,' under which locations that can be classified as 'Eat Right Campuses' are recognised. The New Delhi district took this initiative to focus on the health of its employees in the district's canteens, kitchens, and mess.

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The project is based on three principles: guarantee that the food given to officers, jawans, visitors, and staff is safe to eat and follows the Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Act of 2006.

It also attempts to promote balanced meals and eliminate trans-fats (commonly known as "bad fat"), which are abundant in industrial food products and have a negative influence on health. Furthermore, it ensures a reduction in salt and sugar consumption, which increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.

The programme also attempts to promote local and seasonal vegetables while limiting the chemical use.

How does one obtain the 'eat right' designation?

The programme requires a preliminary assessment of the campus to identify any deficiencies in cooking and hygiene in order to acquire the 'Eat Right Campus' certificate.

After that, a third-party final audit is performed before a two-year certificate is issued. In the next two years, until the certification is renewed, the Food Safety Department or auditing firms will conduct regular inspections to ensure food quality.

A team from the New Delhi district of the Delhi Police took on the challenge of implementing the system at their police stations in order to give nutritious and nutritional meals to its officers.

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The FSSAI conducted an examination of various police stations throughout the New Delhi area. Deepak Yadav, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi), claimed that an earlier assessment identified some flaws in the meals given in the district's four police stations.

What does the 'tag' signify?

The fundamental motivation for adopting the step, according to police officials, was to ensure the safety of all workers. ¡°Police personnel face difficult tasks during their duties and we have seen that they often fall sick after consuming unhygienic food from outside or from the police station¡¯s mess. Kitchens inside police stations are usually ignored and hence it affects the cooking,¡± a senior police officer told The Hindu.

Many police officers used to eat from roadside cafes near the police station, according to an officer assigned to the Connaught Place Police Station, but that has changed since a new kitchen was built under the initiative. Because particular diet charts have been devised to ensure that all police officers and tourists are given with cost-effective yet nutritious meals.

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