Parliament Question: Status of Eat Right Initiatives

GOVERNMENTOFINDIA MINISTRYOFHEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE DEPARTMENTOFHEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE LOK SABHA UNSTARREDQUESTION NO. 5574 TO BE ANSWERED ON27th MARCH, 2026 STATUSOFEATRIGHTINITIATIVES 5574. SHRI KARTICK CHANDRAPAUL: Will the Ministerof HEALTHANDFAMILYWELFAREbe pleasedtostate: (a) the details of Eat Right India initiatives, including Eat Right Schools and Eat Right Campusprogrammes, implemented inWest Bengal; (b) the number of schools, colleges and institutions certified under Eat Right initiatives in West Bengal,district-wise; (c) the number of schools and institutions certified specifically within the Kolkata Municipal Corporation limits; (d) the amount of funds allocated and utilised for Eat Right initiatives in West Bengal during the last three years, year-wise; (e) whether the Government has conducted any monitoring, inspection or evaluation to ensure compliance with food safety and junkfood restrictions inand aroundschools inKolkata, if so, the detailsthereof; and (f) the steps taken or proposed to be taken by the Government to strengthen awareness, certificationand enforcementunderEatRight programmesinWest Bengal? ANSWER THE MINISTEROFSTATE IN THE MINISTRYOFHEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (SHRIPRATAPRAO JADHAV) (a) to (f): Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is mandated to lay down science based standards for articles of food and to regulate their manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import to ensure availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption. The implementation and enforcement of the Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Act, 2006isa shared responsibility between the Central andStateGovernments. FSSAI carries out a nation-wide ‘Eat Right India' movement to focus on preventive and promotive healthcare through social and behavioural change. This initiative is built on three core pillars - Eat Safe, Eat Healthy and Eat Sustainable. It is a collective effort of all stakeholders to transform the food ecosystem of the country with a tagline ‘Sahi BhojanBehtar Jeevan’ (Right food, Better life). Under this initiative, there is Eat Right Certification Programme which involves self-assessment, third-party audits, training of food handlers via Food Safety Training and Certification (FoSTaC), and promoting nutritious food, with certifications awarded for compliance. It promotes safe, healthy, and sustainable food environmentsincampusesincluding schools. Eat Right School programme aims at creating awareness about food safety, nutrition & hygiene among school children, and through them among the community at large. Since, food habits are developed early in life, adequate coverage of food and nutrition both in curriculum and extracurricular activities at the school level is essential. Total 156 schools in West Bengal are certified as Eat Right School.Similarly, Eat Right Campus is also implementedtopromotesafe,healthy,andsustainablefood practices,ensurebalancedmeals, and raise awareness across campus, including Hospitals, Institution, Workplaces, Jails, Colleges, University etc. Total 196 Eat Right Campuses are certified in West Bengal. The details of schools and Campus certified under Eat Right initiatives in West Bengal, district- wise isat Annexure–AandinKolkata is at Annexure–B. FSSAI provides financial and technical supports to the states for strengthening awareness, certification and enforcement activities. Funds allocated for last 03 years and utilizedbythe State of West Bengal isasunder: Theamount of fundsallocatedandutilised forEat Rightinitiativesin West Bengal Year Funds allocatedinRs. Funds utilisedinRs. 2022-23 78.978 Lakh 78.978Lakh 2023-24 167.279 lakh 167.279lakh 2024-25 162.41 lakh 162.41lakh ******Annexure–A Thedistrict-wise details of thenumberof schoolsand campusescertifiedundertheEat RightIndiainitiatives inWest Bengal S. District No. of Eat Rightschools No. of Eat Right No. Campus 1. Bankura 05 08 2. Barddhaman -- 06 3. Basirhat Health District -- 03 4. Birbhum -- 02 5. Bishnupur HealthDistrict -- 03 6. Burdwan -- 04 7. Cooch Behar 11 03 8. Dakshin Dinajpur 01 -- 9. Darjeeling 09 15 10. Diamond Harbour Health District -- 05 11. Haora -- 01 12. Hooghly 10 02 13. Howrah 02 14 14. Jalpaiguri 03 08 15. Koch Bihar -- 02 16. Kalimpong 02 -- 17. Kolkata 36 31 18. Malda 16 10 19. Murshidabad 11 11 20. Nadia 04 08 21. Nandigram Health District -- 05 22. North Twenty FourParganas 06 18 23. Paschim Mednipur -- 01 24. PurbaBardhaman 05 10 25. PurbaMedinipur 09 10 26. Puruliya 04 02 27. South24Parganas 17 14 28. Uttar Dinajpur 05 -- Total 156 196Annexure–B Details of thenumberof schoolsandinstitutions certifiedspecificallywithin theKolkata Municipal Corporationlimits S. District/ Sub- District No. of Eat Rightschools No. of Eat Right No. Campus 1. Kolkata (Kolkata Municipal 30 22 Corporation)