The Heritage School has started displaying the sugar content in all food that it serves to students at its canteen.
The decision comes a day after the Council for Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) sent a circular asking schools to make students aware of their sugar intake by putting up sugar boards.
Heritage, a day boarding institution, serves three meals — breakfast, lunch and snacks — to every student.
From Tuesday, with the menu for each meal, the school started mentioning the quantity of sugar.
For example, curd has 1.8g of sugar per serving, rosogolla has 9.8g of sugar per serving, rice, vegetable paratha and salad have no added sugar.
“We have put up the day’s menu, and with it, how much sugar there is in each item. Henceforth, this will be a practice in our canteen,” said Seema Sapru, the principal.
“We are making children and parents aware, hoping with time they will get into the habit of checking the sugar content in everything that they eat,” she said.
Sapru said sugar boards, as mentioned in the CISCE circular, would help create more awareness about hidden sugar content in food items.
There has been a rise of Type 2 diabetes in children that is linked to excessive sugar consumption.
“At school or in home-cooked meals, we are concerned about both taste and health,” said Sapru.
She said that mentioning the content would help create a greater awareness about hidden sugar content.
“For example, items like pizza or bread taste salty, but they have sugar in them. Then there are items like ketchup where lots of sweetener has to be added to neutralise its sour taste,” she said.
Many schools are still on summer vacation. These schools plan to speak to parents and students on the issue once they return.
“We have a few cases of juvenile diabetes, and we addressed this issue a number of times in the past in the assembly about food habits, exercise and weight management. But we will organise sessions with a paediatrician once school reopens,” said Terence John, director of education and development, Julien Day Schools.
