Maharashtra’s School Education Department has banned the sale of junk food in school canteens across the state.
On Monday, the state government issued a list of prohibited items, including potato chips, noodles, carbonated soft drinks, pizza, burgers, cakes, biscuits, buns and pastries, that will no longer be on the menu because they contain high levels of fat, salt and sugar, the Free Press Journal reported.
According to reports, canteens will now have to sell healthy Indian staples such as chapatis, rice, vegetables and pulses, rajma, wheat upma, khichdi, payasam, idli and vada sambar, coconut water, lemonade and jaljeera.
Though not many state-affiliated schools have canteens, the education department’s government resolution banning junk food in schools can be interpreted to include vendors who sell prepackaged or pre-cooked food on campus during breaks.