Noida school requests parents to not send non-veg food in students’ tiffins

A private school in Noida’s Sector 132 issued a circular to parents on Wednesday requesting that they not send any non-vegetarian food in their children’s lunch tiffins. The circular on Thursday drew outrage from a section of parents who said the school is trying to police their children’s food choices, even as a few others supported the move and said “school is no place for non-vegetarian food”.
Supriti Chauhan, principal of Delhi Public School, in Noida’s Sector 132, who issued the controversial circular said the school urged parents to refrain from sending non-vegetarian items in the children’s tiffin as such “items get spoiled quickly due to hot and humid weather conditions”.
“We have written to the parents requesting that students refrain from bringing non-vegetarian food items to school. This is not a diktat, but only a request. We issue such a circular every year and this year’s is nothing new. There is no ban, no directive, no advisory…only a respectful request,” clarified the principal on Thursday.
The circular lists “two key considerations” for the request.
“Health and Safety: Non-vegetarian food, when cooked in the morning for lunchtime consumption, can pose serious health risks if not stored and handled properly, and we prioritize our students’ well-being,” states the circular.
It further reads, “Inclusivity and Respect: Our school values diversity and promotes a culture of inclusivity. By maintaining a vegetarian food environment, we ensure that all students feel respected and comfortable, regardless of their dietary preferences or restrictions, while eating their meals together”.
While some parents have supported the step, others have condemned it and said the circular amounts to restricting the “food choices” of their children.
“Vegetarian food also tends to go stale, hence, restricting non-vegetarian food items is uncalled for. Moreover, giving a full nutritious meal to their child is a parent’s prerogative and schools should not interfere in that,” said a parent, not wishing to be named.
Manoj Kataria, founder of the Gautam Budh Nagar Parents Welfare Society, said, “Each student at the school comes from a different culture and and had different food habits and all should be welcome to practise their own such habits. A request to avoid non-vegetarian food restricts food choices of parents for their children.”
However, a few parents have supported the move. Pallavi Rai, a parent, said, “Educational institutions are just like temples for children, and eating non-vegetarian food there is not advisable. Moreover, a majority of students in that school are vegetarians, hence the circular is a good step.”
When asked, Dharmveer Singh, district inspector of schools, said if a parent has an objection to the circular, (s)he can report the matter to the education department.
“In case a parent has an objection to the circular, and their grievance is not heard by the school, they can take up the matter with the education department,” he said, adding, “Since the circular simply “requests” parents to avoid non-vegetarian food and does not issue a mandate as such, the matter will not be taken up by the department suo motu.”