Rajasthan High Court
The Rajasthan High Court has directed schools and authorities to take a series of measures aimed at improving food safety, nutrition and the overall learning environment for children. The Jodhpur bench of Justice Anoop Kumar Dhand took suo motu cognisance of what it described as “systemic deficiencies” in institutions responsible for nurturing Gen Z, Gen Alpha and Gen Beta.
Under the directions, the sale of carbonated drinks, chips and other HFSS food products has been prohibited in school canteens as well as within a 50-metre radius of school gates.
The order goes beyond simply restricting junk food. It seeks to establish a comprehensive institutional framework covering school nutrition, food transparency, mid-day meals, digital habits, infrastructure and monitoring.
Food safety and nutrition committees in every school
One of the key directions is the creation of a Food Safety and Nutrition Committee in every school within four weeks.
These committees will include representatives of teachers, parents and students, bringing different stakeholders into the monitoring of food served on school premises.
The court has also directed that details of these committees be uploaded on the education department’s website. The move is aimed at improving transparency and ensuring that responsibility for food safety does not remain confined to school management alone.
By involving parents and students alongside teachers, the court has sought to create a more participatory system for monitoring what children consume during school hours.
No chips, cold drinks and HFSS foods in or near schools
The court’s most prominent food-related direction concerns the availability of unhealthy food products around educational institutions.
Carbonated drinks, chips and other foods classified as high-fat, high-sugar and high-salt (HFSS) have been prohibited in school canteens and within 50 metres of school gates.
The restriction seeks to address not only food sold inside schools but also the immediate environment around them.
The court’s intervention reflects concern that students can otherwise easily access unhealthy snacks and beverages from vendors located just outside school premises, potentially undermining efforts to promote healthier eating habits inside schools.
The order therefore expands the focus from school canteen management to the wider food environment surrounding children during school hours.
School canteens to display calorie and nutrition information
The High Court has also directed school canteens to improve transparency about the food being served.
Within eight weeks, canteens have been directed to display menu boards containing information about calorie counts, ingredients and nutritional values of food items.
The court has further directed the implementation of a traffic-light labelling system to help students understand the nutritional characteristics of different food products and make more informed choices.
Such a system is intended to make nutritional information easier for children to understand rather than relying solely on technical nutritional data.
The emphasis on information is an important part of the court’s broader approach. Along with restricting unhealthy food, the directions seek to encourage children to develop greater awareness of what they eat.
Mid-day meals must meet balanced-diet standards
The court has also placed emphasis on government-supported nutrition programmes.
Authorities have been directed to ensure that mid-day meals and other nutrition schemes comply with FSSAI guidelines on balanced diets.
The state government has been asked to file an affidavit within six weeks detailing the steps being taken to implement the 2020 regulations concerning safe and balanced food in government, aided and private schools.
The direction places the nutritional quality of meals at the centre of the school food system rather than treating the issue simply as a matter of restricting junk food.
Schools therefore face a dual responsibility: limiting unhealthy food options while ensuring that meals provided through school programmes meet appropriate nutritional standards.
Dedicated portal and helpline for complaints
To strengthen enforcement, the court has ordered the creation of a dedicated portal and helpline through which complaints relating to violations of food-safety norms can be submitted.
The mechanism could provide students, parents and other stakeholders with a direct avenue to report concerns about food being sold or served in schools.
The direction also reflects the court’s emphasis on monitoring rather than relying solely on one-time instructions.
Notices issued to Centre, Rajasthan government and regulators
The court has issued notices to several central and state authorities, including the Union Education and Human Resource Secretary, Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Rajasthan Chief Secretary, Additional Chief Secretary (Education), Secretary (Food and Civil Supplies), Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and the Rajasthan State Commission for Protection of Child Rights.
The authorities have been asked to respond within eight weeks.
The wide range of institutions named in the proceedings indicates that the court’s concerns extend beyond individual schools and involve broader questions of food safety, education administration and child welfare.
Focus shifts beyond food to children’s digital habits
The court’s intervention was not confined to nutrition.
The bench also expressed concern over increasing mobile phone use and excessive screen time among children.
While recognising the importance of artificial intelligence and digital learning in preparing students for a competitive environment, the court stressed that technology should not come at the expense of foundational learning skills.
It emphasised the need to maintain a balance between digital education and traditional learning methods, including handwriting, reading books, note-making, independent thinking and written examinations.
The broader concern is that children’s development should not be shaped exclusively by digital consumption.
Rural schools also come under scrutiny
The court directed authorities to address infrastructure and staffing deficiencies in rural and remote government schools.
The areas identified include:
Vacant teacher posts
Smart classrooms
Computers
Internet connectivity
Health check-ups
Toilets
Drinking water
Sports facilities
The directions indicate that improving children’s educational environment requires attention to both physical infrastructure and the quality of services available to students.
Surprise inspections ordered in rural schools
District collectors have been directed to conduct surprise inspections of rural schools and submit reports within eight weeks.
The court has also ordered the creation of a quarterly monitoring cell headed by the Chief Secretary to oversee implementation of its directions.
This monitoring structure is significant because it creates a mechanism through which compliance can be periodically reviewed rather than leaving implementation entirely to individual departments or schools.
Court flags wider challenges facing younger generations
The bench also directed the Centre and state governments to prepare an action plan addressing challenges confronting Gen Z.
The areas identified include the education-employment gap, social security for gig workers, affordable hostels and housing, digital detox programmes, data privacy and cybersecurity.
The court observed that Gen Z, Gen Alpha and the emerging Gen Beta will form India’s workforce and leadership in the coming decades.
The directions therefore extend beyond immediate school-level concerns and examine the broader institutional environment in which younger generations are being educated and prepared for adulthood.
Amici curiae appointed to assist the court
The court has appointed advocates as amici curiae to assist it in examining issues affecting Gen Z, Gen Alpha and Gen Beta.
The matter has been directed to be placed before the Acting Chief Justice for listing before an appropriate bench.
The proceedings thus bring together several issues affecting children from nutrition and food safety to screen time, education quality, infrastructure and their future social and economic environment.
A broader reform of the school environment
The Rajasthan High Court’s directions represent a broad approach to school reform. The immediate headline measure is the restriction on chips, carbonated drinks and other HFSS foods in and around schools, but the order goes considerably further.
By requiring nutrition committees, transparent menus, nutritional labelling, balanced mid-day meals, complaint mechanisms and regular monitoring, the court has sought to create a more accountable school food system.
At the same time, its directions on screen time, foundational learning, rural infrastructure and the challenges facing younger generations indicate that the court is looking at children’s welfare as a wider institutional issue.
The focus, therefore, is not merely on taking junk food off school shelves. It is on creating an environment in which children have access to safer food, better nutritional information, stronger educational infrastructure and systems that support their physical, academic and social development.
