Food is an integral part of human existence. But, when the same food becomes the reason for food poisoning, food mishandling, or unhygienic food and kitchen practices, it becomes necessary to recheck and double check the system. In an unfortunate incident recently, hundreds of school children fell ill in Bihar's district after a baby snake was found in the mid-day meal served to them. According to a NDTV report, the incident occurred at Middle School Baluaha, located in the Mahishi block of Saharsa, where the mid-day meal, supplied by an NGO, was served to the school children on Thursday. As the food was served and the children started eating, a baby snake was found while food was being served to one of the students. Soon, over 150 children, one after another, began complaining of stomach pain, a Mint report states. In a very short span of time, dozens of children complained about the pain and they were shifted to a local hospital, from where several children were later referred to the Sadar Hospital. Following the incident, the District Magistrate (DM) has sent an investigation team to the NGO's cluster, where mid-day meals are cooked for several local schools.



What is a Mid-day meal?

The concept of midday meal scheme is a government school meal programme in India that provides free lunches to children studying in government and government-aided schools. The main aim is to improve nutrition, increase school attendance, and reduce classroom hunger. As the concept bring in a large commercial kitchen into picture, in February 2015, the Ministry of Human Resource Department (Department of School Education & Literacy) had issued the guidelines for food safety and hygiene for school level kitchens. Scroll down to read the 9 key guidelines and their importance.



Food Safety measures during preparation

- The cereals and pulses should be manually cleaned before cooking to remove any extraneous matter.

-‘Single Dish Meals’ using broken wheat or rice and incorporating some amount of a pulse or soya beans, a seasonal vegetable/green leafy vegetable, and some amount of edible oil will save both time and fuel besides being nutritious.

- Cereal pulse combination is necessary to have good quality protein. The cereal pulse ratio could range from 3:1 to 5:1. Sprouted pulses have more nutrients and should be incorporated in single dish meals.

- Leafy vegetables when added to any preparation should be thoroughly washed before cutting and should not be subjected to washing after cutting.



Food Safety Measures during Cooking

- Recipes requiring fermentation and sprouted pulses increase nutritional value and accordingly should be considered as an option in the menu.

- Cooking must be done with the lid on to avoid loss of nutrients and contamination.

- The containers should be checked for cleanliness.

- The temperature of the mid-day meal when served should be maintained at 65°C.

- Microorganisms multiply at a fast pace when the food is kept at temperature between 5°C and 60°C which represents the danger zone due to thermophilic and thermoduric nature. Therefore, food should be served to children immediately after being cooked.

- Vegetarian and non-vegetarian items should be segregated. Fridge wherever available should be cleaned at least once a week to remove stains, ice particles and food particles. The temperature in the fridge should be in the range of 4°C - 6°C



Tasting of the mid-day meals by teacher

The tasting of the food by a teacher just before serving is mandatory. The teacher is to maintain a tasting record in a register. An SMC member should also taste the food on a rotation basis along with the teachers before it is distributed to the children.



Testing of mid-day meal

The States/UTs must consider engaging CSIR Institutes / NABL accredited laboratories and FSSAI accredited laboratories for undertaking testing of samples of MDM for food safety and contamination (microbial and chemical).



Cleaning of cooking areas

-The floors of kitchen and the slabs should be cleaned every day before and after the food is cooked. Special attention should be paid to cleaning obstructed sites including cooking areas and at the junction of floors and walls.

- The cooking areas must be kept clean at all times. It is important that surfaces in direct contact with food must be both clean and dry before use. Cracks, rough surfaces, open joints etc. must be repaired as soon as possible.



Cleaning of utensils, equipments and other materials

- Cleaning accessories such as cloths, mops and brushes carry a very high risk of cross contamination. They must therefore be thoroughly washed, cleaned and dried after use. Cleaning accessories used in the cooking area/packing area should not be used in other parts of the kitchen. Sun drying of the cleaning accessories in a clean and tidy place should be done.

- Tables, benches and boxes, cupboards, glass cases, etc. shall be clean and tidy. Cooking utensils and crockery should be clean and in good condition. These should not be broken/ chipped



Personal hygiene, cleanliness and health checkups of cook-cum-helpers

- Cooks and helpers should maintain a high degree of personal hygiene and cleanliness.

- A person suffering from an infectious disease should not be permitted to work. Biannual health checkups should be undertaken to ensure fitness for the job of CCH.

- Cooks/helpers should report immediately to their supervisors, if they are suffering from any disease likely to be transmitted via food, e.g. diarrhoea or vomiting, infected wounds like, skin infections, jaundice or sores.



Pest control

- Cleanliness is essential for effective control of all pests (mainly rodents, birds, and insects). Wire mesh screens, for example on open windows, doors and ventilators, will reduce the problem of pest entry.



Hand-washing for children

There should be a dedicated time within the daily timetable that allows enough time for all children, cooks and teachers in the school to wash their hands with soap.

- The hand washing of the children should be supervised and monitored vigorously .

- Hand wash with soap before and after eating should be vigorously promoted. The schools may define an area for hand washing where very simple scalable and cost effective multiple hand washing facilities can be installed to be used by large groups of children at a time.