Ministry of Health will guide canteens and students at private schools.
The Ministry of Health launched this Wednesday a booklet to guide students at private schools in seeking a healthy diet. The measure includes a review of the products offered by the institutions' canteens.
Although no item is prohibited, schools that join the ministry's efforts and commit to offering a balanced diet will receive a government seal — which will serve both to differentiate the schools that join, and to symbolize to parents which institutions demonstrate concern with healthy eating. Data from the ministry reveal that 30% of children aged 5 to 9 in the country are overweight. Among teenagers, aged 10 to 19, this index is 21%. In total, there are 525 thousand children and 140 thousand adolescents in Brazil with morbid obesity.
Inspection and direct contact with schools will be carried out by the National Federation of Private Schools, which is the government's partner in implementing the booklet.
It has been proven that poor nutrition has an impact on learning, as students become tired and less ready to learn.
http://189.28.128.100/nutricao/docs/geral/manual_cantinas.pdf