The use of junk food has been completely banned in schools in Tatopani Rural Municipality of Jumla.

The ‘Methodology for Lunch Operation and Management-2080’ has been made to prohibit the use of junk food by any school, citing the impact on the health of students when using junk food as lunch.

Currently, 2,600 students from 29 schools within the municipality are using dishes made from local products as lunch.

Sangita Kami of Tatopani-6 Hiakhola said that the health of students has improved after starting to serve organic local lunch in the school. Earlier, the school had completely banned taking semolina, noodles, and biscuits. ‘Earlier, children would not go to school regularly, and their families would send them junk food.’ But now, the number of students is increasing due to organic lunches made in schools,’ said Kami.

Bishnu Bahadur Rokaya of Tatopani-6 shares his experience that junk food has exacerbated the problem of diarrhea and cholera among students. ‘Earlier, children were used to be given junk food. Biscuits and noodles were forcibly put in their bags. When they fell ill, they had to be taken to the hospital,’ said Bishnu Bahadur. ‘The nutritious local food prepared in the school has not affected the health of the students.’

All kinds of food including corn, soybean, barley, wheat, masala, and sorghum are available in the school. The school is providing lunch by purchasing the food produced by farmers, which has improved the health of the students.

Tatopani Rural Municipality of Jumla has made a procedure to prohibit junk food in schools and implemented a system that requires local lunch to be served. After the ‘Methodology for Operation and Management of Lunch-2080’ was passed and implemented, all schools within the municipality are now serving lunch made from locally produced food items. This has not only protected crops that are on the verge of extinction, but also improved the nutritional status of children.

Tatopani Rural Municipality has prepared a week-long lunch menu. It has also arranged the necessary infrastructure for lunch. This has led to an increase in the rate of students going to school. Parents are also earning income by selling the food crops they produce to the school.

Until the rural municipality formulated the methodology, the condition of lunch was pathetic. But now that the methodology has been formulated, organic products are produced locally, purchased by the same crop cooperative and sent to schools as lunch. Now the enrollment rate has increased and the dropout rate has also decreased. The municipality has also built the utensils and kitchen for making lunch.

Rural Municipality Chairman Nanda Prasad Chaulagain said that 6 agricultural cooperatives have been given the responsibility of serving the traditional lunch. Lunch is delivered to schools based on a menu of what to serve at each bar and in what quantity. Schools that serve the best lunch are honored. Chairman Chaulagain said, "There is neither the hassle of making lunch for parents, nor is there a problem of collecting lunch for the school."

According to the work procedure, khichdi is served on Sunday, kheer, greens and vegetables on Monday, kwati, gedagudi on Tuesday, eggs-meat and fried rice on Wednesday, halwa on Thursday and dal-rice and vegetables on Friday. The work procedure clearly mentions the role of the ward office, the role of the local level education branch, as well as the role of the social development committee and the executive for lunch. The procedure includes a provision to fully implement the nutrition standards set by the federal government.