Delhi High Court questions Centre on junk food

The Delhi High Court, on February 9, asked the Centre to file an affidavit within six weeks on whether the government has framed a policy to ban junk food and carbonated beverages in schools.

The court was acting on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), filed by Uday Foundation, a non-profit in Delhi, which alleges that junk food causes damage to health and mental growth of children. The foundation works on children's health, and has sought a ban on sale of junk food in schools and within 500 metre radius of educational institutions.

• On January 21, 2011, WHO recommended a ban on junk food in schools and playgrounds in order to promote healthy diet and tackle child obesity. The non- binding recommendation will be put to a high level meeting of WHO on prevention and control of non-communicable diseases in September
• UK banned junk food in schools in 2005 but it was revoked last year by the Conservatives-Liberal Democrat combine government led by David Cameron. The government's decision to dismantle the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in July last year received flak and was seen as buckling under corporate pressure. The FSA was pushing for a Europe-wide “traffic light system” that required food companies to label the front of their products with red, amber or green symbols to denote the amounts of fat, saturated fat, salt and sugar contained in each serving
• US passed a bill in December 2010 banning junk food in schools
• Mexico banned junk food in all of its public, private and elementary schools in May 2010. This was a part of their nationwide anti-obesity campaign which began early last year
• United Arab Emirates banned junk food and soft drinks in all its schools in Abu Dhabi last year
• In Canada, the Ontario state government banned candy, chocolate, fries, pop and energy drinks in school premises in September 2010