🎯 Main Goal

To establish and maintain student-friendly school canteens that provide healthy food at affordable prices.

• Improve the nutritional status of schoolchildren.
• Reduce the risk of non-communicable diseases.
• Provide nutritious, healthy and enjoyable meals.
• Develop positive attitudes towards healthy food.
• Maintain hygienic and properly managed canteens.

👥 Who Should Read It?

• School principals, teachers and school food committees.
• School canteen owners and employees.
• Schoolchildren and parents.
• Education officers responsible for health and nutrition.
• MOH, PHI and other school health supervisory officers.

📄 Registration and Legal Compliance

• The canteen must be registered with the Medical Officer of Health.
• A valid registration certificate must be obtained.
• The Principal should arrange an inspection by the relevant PHI.
• A new certificate is required when the canteen changes location.
• The canteen must comply with the Food Act No. 26 of 1980.
• Packaging, hygiene, premises registration, food labelling and advertising regulations must be followed.

🚰 Water and Handwashing

• Clean and safe water must be continuously available.
• Food-grade containers must be used to store drinking water.
• Chemical containers must never be reused for drinking water.
• Water quality should be tested periodically by the PHI.
• A separate handwashing area with sufficient water, soap or handwash must be provided.
• Wastewater must be disposed of through a secure drainage system.

🛒 Purchasing Food

• Purchase ingredients only from clean and responsible suppliers.
• Prepared food should be obtained only from inspected safe premises.
• Buy fresh, good-quality ingredients and prepared food.
• Do not purchase spoiled, damaged or expired products.
• Maintain supplier details, bills and purchasing records.
• Transport prepared food in hygienic food-only containers.

❄️ Food Storage

• Use a clean, dry, ventilated and pest-free storeroom.
• Storage racks should be at least 18 inches above the floor and 9 inches away from the wall.
• Do not keep expired ingredients in the storeroom.
• Prepared and unprepared food should be properly labelled.
• Raw and cooked food must be stored separately.
• All food in refrigerators and freezers must be properly covered.
• Chemicals and medicines must not be stored in food refrigerators.

✅ Foods to Promote

• Rice, milk rice, pongal, pittu, string hoppers and hoppers.
• Roti, kurakkan roti, dosa, idli, upma and suitable noodles.
• Vegetables, green leaves, pulses and boiled legumes.
• Egg, fish, lean meat and nutritious sandwiches or wraps.
• Fresh fruits, fruit cups and fruit kebabs without added sugar.
• Boiled corn, chickpeas, cowpea, nuts and seeds.
• Fresh milk and fermented milk products.
• Water, porridge, soups and traditional herbal drinks.
• Fresh coconut water and low-sugar natural fruit juice.

⛔ Foods Prohibited from Sale

• Highly processed meat and fish products.
• Burgers, hot dogs, submarines, processed pizza and similar items.
• Sugary buns, pastries, doughnuts, éclairs, cakes and biscuits.
• Deep-fried snacks, chips, bites and extruded crunchy snacks.
• Instant noodles, instant soups and artificial seasoning products.
• Highly processed sauces and artificially flavoured chilli pastes.
• Chocolate, sweets, chewing gum, lollipops and similar confectionery.
• Jelly products, ice pops, ice cream and frozen desserts.
• Carbonated drinks, energy drinks and high-sugar drink packets.
• Artificially flavoured milk, yoghurt drinks, cordials and nectars.

📋 Management and Supervision

• The School Food Committee must continuously supervise the canteen.
• The committee should meet once every two months.
• A comprehensive canteen inspection should be carried out.
• An evaluation report should be submitted once every school term.
• A system must be maintained to receive and review complaints and suggestions.
• The Principal may cancel a canteen contract based on the Food Committee's recommendation.
• Canteen income should be credited to the School Development Society account.

👥 School Food Committee

• Principal or Deputy Principal.
• Teacher responsible for the school nutrition programme.
• Teacher responsible for health promotion activities.
• Another member of the teaching staff.
• Public Health Inspector of the relevant area.
• Representative of the school health student club.
• Environment group, scouts or cadets representative.
• Past pupils and School Development Committee members.
• Head Prefect or another student prefect.
• School Consumer Club representative.