The Bengal government's decision to entrust the preparation of mid-day meals in schools under the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) area to Iskcon has triggered a debate around nutrition.
Under the proposed arrangement, eggs — served 1-2 days a week in Bengal's school meal programme — are expected to be replaced with vegetarian alternatives such as paneer, rajma and soy-based foods.
Apart from cries of “imposed vegetarianism,” the move has sparked debates about health benefits. While critics fear replacing eggs could weaken the nutritional value of meals served to lakhs of students, nutrition experts say the answer is more nuanced.
For decades, eggs have occupied a central place in school feeding programmes across India because they are among the cheapest and most nutrient-dense foods available.
Rich in high-quality protein, eggs contain all nine essential amino acids required for growth and development, making them a complete protein source.
“Egg is one of the best and one of the cheapest sources of protein,” clinical nutritionist Hena Nafis told My Kolkata. “We have seen surveys showing that people in India are protein deficient.”
In Bengal, nearly 33.8 per cent of children under the age of 5 are estimated to be stunted. Studies conducted in urban areas under the KMC have reported stunting levels ranging from 24.1 per cent to 29 per cent.
Nutritionists acknowledge that vegetarian alternatives can provide adequate nutrition, but replacing eggs is not simply a matter of swapping one ingredient for another, they stress.
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“Egg is a complete source of protein. It contains all the essential amino acids,” Nafis explained. “Things like dal are incomplete proteins. The quality of protein wouldn't be the same”.
Among the proposed alternatives, soya beans emerge as the closest nutritional substitute. Cooked soya beans contain approximately 18 grammes of protein per 100 grammes, compared with around 13 grammes in eggs. They are also among the few plant-based foods that offer a near-complete amino-acid profile and are rich in iron and calcium.
Nafis described soya bean as a viable replacement but pointed to a practical challenge. “The acceptance of soya bean is quite poor among Indians. A lot of people don't like the taste of it,” she said.
Rajma, another likely addition to the revised menu, provides roughly 8.7 g of protein per 100 g when cooked. It is rich in fibre, complex carbohydrates and several micronutrients.
However, unlike eggs and soya beans, rajma does not contain all essential amino acids in adequate quantities.
Nutrition experts said that rajma works best when paired with cereals such as rice, which together improve overall protein quality. On its own, it cannot fully replicate the nutritional profile of eggs.
Paneer and other dairy products can help bridge part of the gap. They provide high-quality protein and essential amino acids, but their higher cost raises questions about long-term affordability in a large-scale feeding programme.
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Iskcon has rejected suggestions that the removal of eggs would compromise nutrition.
“The welfare and nutrition of children must remain at the centre of this discussion,” said Radha Raman Das, vice-president of Iskcon Kolkata.
“There appears to be a misconception that nutrition is dependent on eggs alone. The scientific reality is that nutritional requirements can be met through a variety of dietary sources”.
According to Das, meals prepared under the Annamrita Foundation will include pulses, lentils, soya chunks, rajma, paneer, milk products and vegetables. He said menus are prepared with the guidance of nutritionists and dieticians and are designed to meet government-prescribed nutritional standards.
“The question should be whether children are receiving the required nutrition, not whether that nutrition comes from a single source,” he said.
The National Programme on Nutritional Support to Primary Education, popularly known as the mid-day meal scheme, was revised in 2004 to provide cooked meals containing at least 300 calories and 8-12 g of protein to primary school students.
Experts say achieving these benchmarks through vegetarian meals is entirely possible, but only if menus are scientifically planned and implemented consistently.
The larger challenge may lie not in nutrition science but in acceptance.
Teachers and school staff point out that eggs have traditionally been among the most popular items on the menu and often contribute to higher attendance on serving days.
“Students love eggs,” said a teacher from a north Kolkata school who did not wish to be named. “We have seen attendance spike on days when eggs are served.
“And they are saying eggs will be replaced by rajma. But is rajma a part of the regular Bengali diet? No. We may eat it once in a while, but as a regular meal, it will only discourage students from coming to school for the mid-day meal,” the teacher added.
Not everyone sees the proposed shift as a problem. A teacher at an Adivasi-dominated school in the Dooars in north Bengal said most students in her school were comfortable with the idea of a vegetarian menu as many come from households where vegetarian food is common.
A parent from Canning in the Sundarbans echoed a similar sentiment.
“We have no objection to eggs being replaced as long as children continue to receive meals that met their nutritional needs,” said the woman, who works as a domestic help.