Hare Krishna High on Hygiene

Hyderabad, July 19, 2013: Two voluntary organisations – Hare Krishna Movement and Naandi Foundation – have been feeding school children in the city and neighbouring districts ever since the midday meal scheme was launched nearly a decade ago. Nutrition and hygiene are the prime aspects to be taken care of while serving food to schoolchildren. Ravi Lochan Dasa of the Hare Krishna Movement claims that his organisation is precisely doing that.

“Providing meals to schoolchildren is a serious job, and one should be aware of this responsibility before taking up the venture. We ensure that people working in our kitchens are properly dressed, their hair and faces are covered and have good oral hygiene,” he explained.

He says that the staff handling the work is regularly sensitised not to compromise on cleanliness.

An open kitchen, however, could prove to be dangerous as it could have happened in places where there have been reports of food poisoning, he observes.

Rice for the midday meal scheme is supplied by the government through the FCI, but since it contains a lot of impurities great care is taken to clean it properly. The Hare Krishna movement, under its Akshaya Patra scheme, feed about 14 lakh schoolchildren in nine States and about 1.25 lakh in Andhra Pradesh. Cooking is done between 5 a.m. and 8 a.m., and food is packed in sealed containers and delivered in ‘thermostat’ vehicles. Representatives of Naandi Foundation were unavailable for comment.

Source: The Hindu, DT. July 19, 2013.