New flavours for school lunches: Minister V Sivankutty personally checks menu, serves food to children

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The distribution of midday meals according to the new menu has started in public schools in Kerala. Minister V. Sivankutty, who visited the canteen of Cottonhill Government LPS, Thiruvananthapuram, assessed the cooking of food according to the new menu. The minister, who saw the preparations for egg fried rice, served eggs to the children in class one.

The menu at Cottonhill School on the first day, i.e. yesterday, was Egg Fried Rice, Vegetable Moilee, Mint Chammanthi, Salad and Pappadam. The menu was revised for children in classes I to VIII as per the recommendations of the expert committee.

For lunch, one day a week, any one of the following should be served using fortified rice used in schools: vegetable fried rice, lemon rice, veg biryani, tomato rice, coconut rice. Vegetable curry or kuruma can also be served. Chammanthi mixed with mint, ginger, gooseberry, green mango can also be served. Microgreens should be included in the menu one or two days a month. Vegetables like papaya, moringa leaves, pumpkin, kumbalanga, beans, and plantain from the school's vegetable garden should be included in the menu. Schools can decide on which days the dishes included in the menu will be served.

Some schools have not started implementing the new menu. Teachers say that it is difficult to implement the new menu without increasing the government's allocation for food.

......................................

The aim is to ensure nutritious and tasty food for children. The midday meal scheme in Kerala is exemplary. However, there is a delay in providing mid-day meal money to schools. The problem is that the central funds are not received on time. However, the money has not been withheld.

Minister V Sivankutty