| The lunch box challenge | | | | There were other some very interesting points made |
| Children today are far more aware of the adverse | | | | by the children, like why junk food tasted so good—a |
| health effects of junk food than we would think they | | | | valid question for any kid who would wonder why |
| are, but that still does not deter them from wanting to | | | | burgers, chips and colas were so addictive to eat as |
| have chocolates, biscuits and colas in their lunchboxes | | | | compared to home-made food which was not always |
| in school. | | | | as exciting to eat. |
| Consumer VOICE gave children between 8 to 10 | | | | The recent controversies regarding pesticides in cold |
| years of age the choice to pick up any food item from | | | | drinks have alerted students to the dangers of junk |
| a 13-food menu and we found that biscuits, chocolates | | | | foods as eight year old Archit Singh explained that his |
| and soft drinks were most popular | | | | dad had narrated to him how there was news that a |
| | | | | man had died after binging on cola to win a cola |
| "This is the best day of my life! I've got to have so | | | | drinking competition". Another student narrated he had |
| much junk food!" exclaimed Archit Singh, a sprightly | | | | found a cockroach in a cold drink bottle. Dr Satinder |
| eight-year-old student of Amity International School, | | | | Bajaj, former Principal of Lady Irwin College, Delhi, |
| Saket in Delhi. Archit was one of the students of the | | | | informed the kids, "there are rules and laws in place for |
| class which was part of the Consumer VOICE Lunch | | | | soft drinks and brands are bound to observe basic |
| Box Challenge: an event held to find out how inclined | | | | cleanliness standards for their products". SNS Tomar, a |
| kids today were towards eating junk or healthy food. | | | | senior functionary of the Department of Marketing and |
| We came back educated by the children on what their | | | | Inspection explained to the children how they could tell |
| consumer rights were and what they thought their | | | | if a food was vegetarian, "it is mandatory for each |
| mothers should give them for lunch in school. | | | | food to be labelled as vegetarian or non-vegetarian by |
| To mark the World Consumer Rights Day in March | | | | way of a green or brown dot". |
| 2009, Consumer VOICE organised a "lunch-box | | | | With students urging the government to ban this or |
| challenge" in Amity International School, Saket, New | | | | that, Dr Vajpeyi of Consumer VOICE asked if they |
| Delhi. The idea was to find out how much junk food | | | | knew who the government was, and they innocently |
| kids were eating, and what kind of home-made food | | | | replied, "no". |
| they brought to school everyday. The results were not | | | | Once the students had rained questions on the |
| completely negative, as many would have expected. | | | | Consumer VOICE team and the attending officers of |
| The new-age kids are not altogether junk-food freaks, | | | | the Directorate of Marketing and Inspection, Ministry of |
| although the most sought after foods were indeed | | | | Agriculture, they were gently told about what their |
| biscuits, chocolates and Kurkure. The silver lining is that | | | | consumer rights were. |
| the kids did pick up the packaged fruit juices as well, | | | | The parents and teachers present were keen to put |
| although when we rated healthy foods' popularity on a | | | | their questions and opinions to the panel of nutrition |
| scale of 1 to 8, the bananas and the oranges were | | | | experts. Kavita Sachdeva, a teacher with a |
| really at the bottom of the lineup. Perhaps the | | | | Delhi-based school said that she was a standard XI |
| attractive packaging of foods like namkeens, gems, | | | | teacher and many students came to her with the |
| muffins and the very taste of aerated drinks are too | | | | problem of memory loss. Did nutrition have a key to |
| much to resist for little kids. | | | | this exam-time problem? |
| When we checked kids' lunchboxes, we found that | | | | Dr Satinder Bajaj responded by saying that sharp |
| freshly cooked vegetables and paranthas have all but | | | | memory was a product of healthy lifestyle choices like |
| gone out of fashion. The presence of processed food | | | | adequate sleep and nutritious food that was eaten all |
| was evident as some children had cookies while | | | | year round and not just in exam time. "The age-old |
| others had chips. Even with traditional lunch items like | | | | tradition of eating yoghurt with sugar before leaving for |
| paranthas and lemon pickle, children still had some | | | | an examination in the morning was a sound practice |
| wafers, biscuits, chips and bread— perhaps an | | | | as it meant a ready source of proteins and |
| indication that the lunch-box at school is not complete | | | | carbohydrates which would keep energy levels up |
| without some lip-smacking processed food. Some | | | | during the day", explained Dr Bajaj. |
| other lunchboxes showed little time that parents had to | | | | |
| give their children some nutritious food as one tiffin had | | | | Through this programme, my eight-year old daughter |
| two boiled eggs sliced with some salt and pepper | | | | can now not refute the fact that she must have |
| sprinkled on it and some tomato | | | | healthy food" |
| ketchup. | | | | Ritu Bajpai, Parent of 8-year old Anuva |
| The kids were carefree while choosing their lunch-food | | | | |
| items, but were also conscious that their choices were | | | | The event was also attended by the parents of the |
| being observed by the Consumer VOICE team, their | | | | children participating in the Lunch Box Challenge. For |
| teachers and parents, as some of them wanted to | | | | them, it was a welcome endorsement of good food |
| replace the junk foods they had picked up once they | | | | eating habits which their children were sometimes loath |
| knew that their choices were being noted down. | | | | to follow. Says Ritu Bajpai, parent of eight-year old |
| These pre-teen and pre-adolescent children also had | | | | Anuva, "my daughter eats very little, not even junk |
| several questions to ask of the Consumer VOICE | | | | food. With this kind of exposure, she is now aware of |
| team, which had a student nutrition counsellor, a | | | | nutrition and now does not refute the fact that she |
| nutrition scientist and a university academic who | | | | must eat healthy food". |
| specialises in study of children's food consumption | | | | Other parents had similar opinion. Samra Ali, parent of |
| patterns, as its experts. | | | | young Amna, "There were many things that I didn't |
| Seven and a half year old Eklavya asked confidently | | | | know about junk food but now not only do I try to |
| on the microphone, " what is the purpose of organising | | | | refresh my memory about them but I also encourage |
| this programme?". Ten year old Amrita appeared to | | | | my daughter to have more of natural foods rather |
| be a budding environmentalist as she had comments | | | | than synthetic ones." |
| like, "the government should ban plastics", and "we | | | | |
| should not eat cut fruits from the market, and coloured | | | | "It was a very enriching experience. it would help me |
| foods are dangerous." | | | | both as a teacher (to spread awareness among my |
| Another child stood up and said to the Consumer | | | | students about dietary habits) and as a mother (to |
| VOICE team, "my mother is confused. Sometimes she | | | | raise my children better by inculcating healthy eating |
| says I am too thin, but when I eat junk food, she says | | | | habits in them)." |
| it might make me fat". The child asked the Consumer | | | | Ekta Arora, |
| VOICE experts to advise his mother, who was part of | | | | Teacher, St. |
| the audience at the event. | | | | |