PETALING JAYA -- New guidelines on food sold in school canteens, which included frequency of food served, is expected to be issued next month, said Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai.
He said the guidelines would ensure healthier food for schoolchildren and address their health problems, such as obesity.
"Previously, only the food list was given. Now, the frequency will be set, for example, how many times nasi lemak and fried rice must be sold," he told reporters after launching the national healthy eating habit programme for primary schools, Kembara Riang Ria Pemakanan at Sekolah Wawasan USJ 15, Subang Jaya here on Thursday.
He said the guidelines should be adhered to by canteen operators and failure to do so may result in their contracts being terminated by the Ministry of Education.
Liow said the food list, which would be made up of about 70 main dishes, would be finalised after it was discussed with the Ministry of Education.
He said school canteens should serve healthy food for a study conducted by University Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) showed that 86.6 per cent of students buy food and drinks from school canteens.
The study also showed that nasi lemak, fried noodle and chicken rice were schoolchildren's favourite food while burger was the most popular fast food (34.4 percent) followed by fried chicken (26.5 percent) and pizza, he added.
Liow said food vendors outside school compound should also comply with the guidelines.
He said although obesity among primary schoolchildren aged between six and 12 years increased from 9.7 per cent in 2001 to 13.7 per cent in 2007, the situation was not alarming.
The increase is likely due to unhealthy dietary habits and lack of physical activity for the study showed that 76 per cent of schoolchildren spent most of their time by watching television or engrossed in computer, he added.
He said the UKM study also showed that only 70 per cent of primary schoolchildren take breakfast everyday while 10 per cent of children do not.
In his speech, Liow said canteen operators must attend food handling courses conducted by accredited bodies for 50 per cent of food poisoning cases in the country occurred in schools.
On a food poisoning case at Sekolah Kebangsaan Rahman Putra, Sungai Buloh on Monday which affected 35 pupils, he said based on early reports, it was suspected to be due to the intake of ultra-high-temperature (UHT) flavoured "strawberry" milk supplied to 674 pupils at the school.
He said immediate action was taken by the Division of Food Safety to hold back the purchase of the milk from the supplier.
