– The Ministry of Health has announced a list of food items that will be prohibited in school canteens under its newly introduced ‘Guidelines on Healthy School Canteens’, aimed at ensuring students have access to affordable, safe and nutritious meals.

According to the guidelines, school canteens must maintain a clean, safe and easily accessible environment free from disease-carrying vectors, while ensuring continuous supervision of canteen operations. Food handlers are also required to maintain high standards of personal hygiene and be aware of their responsibilities.The Ministry said canteen menus should be designed by considering children’s preferences, nutritional value and Sri Lanka’s local food culture.Under the new regulations, processed meat products such as sausages, meatballs, bacon, ham and foods prepared using them, including burgers, hot dogs and pizza, have been banned from school canteens.

The prohibited list also includes flour- and sugar-rich foods such as pastries, doughnuts, éclairs, biscuits and cakes, as well as instant foods and flavouring products including instant noodles, soup cubes, seasoning powders and canned pickles.Sugar-rich confectionery items including chewing gum, toffees, lollipops, puddings, ice cream and other processed desserts have also been banned.

In addition, the guidelines prohibit the sale of salt-rich snacks such as boondi, muscat, dodol, murukku and extruded snack products such as Tipi Tip.The Ministry has further banned carbonated soft drinks, high-sugar beverages, flavoured milk and yoghurt drinks, energy drinks and instant tea and coffee products from being sold in school canteens as part of its efforts to promote healthier eating habits among schoolchildren.