The Hindu Business Line : Midday meal gets `healthier' for AP kids

Hyderabad March 18 The corporate sector and social organisations have joined hands in an interesting effort to boost the nutritional status of children under the midday meals scheme in Andhra Pradesh schools.

Iron fortified biscuits would be given to 1.2 lakh children in Hyderabad under the midday meals being run by the Andhra Pradesh Government. Britannia Industries, Naandi Foundation and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), have come together to make this possible.

The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, launched this initiative on Sunday at a Government school in the city. This is the first move of a larger national programme, proposed to be supported across the country by Britannia Industries with like-minded organisations.

A supplement

The iron-fortified biscuits will supplement the ongoing midday meals programme. Britannia will supply the Tiger iron (5mg) fortified biscuits, which will be given to each child twice a week.

There is enough evidence to show that younger children turn up at school only at the time of the midday meal and therefore are not learning much at the school. By providing fortified biscuit as a morning snack, it is expected to attract more children to attend classes.

Mr Neeraj Chandra, Vice-President, Sales and Marketing of Britannia Industries, said Tiger Biscuits is the largest brand in the company's portfolio. The company's R&D team is making efforts to ensure that children enjoy the taste and gain nutrition.

Improving quality

GAIN, the Geneva-based organisation, which is also supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is working in several countries partnering public and private organisations for improving the health, productivity and cognitive functions.

Naandi Foundation is already part of the State's midday meal programme providing egg and banana. The iron-fortified biscuits will strengthen the nutrition value of the meal significantly, said Mr Manoj Kumar, CEO of the Foundation.

The Foundation has been running the largest centralised midday meal kitchen for the past four years feeding about 1,20,000 underprivileged children every day to address classroom hunger. In collaboration with Britannia and GAIN, the new fortified biscuit developed would be supplied through the network.

More Stories on : Society & Development | Children & Parenting | Andhra Pradesh

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