To help children stay healthy and reduce their sugar intake, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has asked more than 24,000 schools across India to start using ‘sugar boards.’ These boards help students learn about how much sugar is in common drinks and snacks and why eating too much sugar is harmful.
‘Sugar Boards’ are displays set up in schools to show how much sugar is in drinks like cold drinks and packaged juices. The idea was first shared by food influencer Revant Himatsingka two years ago. In simple DIY (Do It Yourself) workshops, students stick bottles of drinks on a board and next to each bottle, they show the number of teaspoons of sugar it contains.
For example:
These boards also provide helpful information like:
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) supports the use of sugar boards in all schools, including those under State boards.
The reason:
According to NCPCR:
India has one of the highest number of children with Type 2 Diabetes, second only to China.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is working on setting clear rules for food high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS), especially for school meals. However, India still does not have its own limits for how much fat, salt or sugar is safe to eat.
Right now, India uses the World Health Organization (WHO) advice, which says:
Experts believe India needs its own rules because Indians are more likely to get heart diseases and diabetes.
Dr. Divya Gupta from NCPCR says that sugar boards are just the beginning. The next steps include:
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