Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), the National Standards Body of India functioning under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Government of India, organised a technical session under its monthly outreach initiative on the standard “Code for Hygienic Conditions for Preparation and Supply of Foods/Meals in Schools” at BIS Chennai Branch Office, C.I.T. Campus, Taramani.
The session highlighted the purpose of the Standard: promoting safe and hygienic preparation and distribution of meals in schools. It detailed good hygienic practices, infrastructure and process requirements, roles and responsibilities of food handlers and school authorities, as well as simple compliance tools that institutions can adopt. The programme aimed to build awareness among implementers and encourage consistent adoption of the Standard across schools and supplier ecosystems.
The programme commenced with a Welcome Address by Shri S. D. Dayanand, Scientist-F / Senior Director & Head, BIS – Chennai Branch Office. He outlined the objectives of the session, emphasising the importance of instilling hygienic practices at the school level, where children are highly vulnerable to food-borne illnesses. He noted that the Standard goes beyond compliance by fostering a culture of food safety through awareness and accountability. Shri Dayanand further underlined the role of schools, NGOs, and implementing agencies in demonstrating good practices that can be scaled across the country, adding that outreach initiatives like Manak Manthan serve as a vital bridge between standard-setting and on-ground implementation.
The Inaugural Address was delivered by Chief Guest Shri V. K. Pancham, Regional Director (Southern Region), Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). He highlighted the complementarity between BIS standards and FSSAI’s regulatory framework, and stressed the need for practical, school-level hygiene protocols—including procurement, storage, preparation, serving, and waste management—to safeguard student health. He further emphasized that adherence to Schedule 4 of FSSAI and the implementation of Good Hygienic Practices (GHP) are essential in schools providing meal schemes, and that all personnel and institutions involved in these processes must ensure compliance with these standards.
Smt. Anurita Nidhi Hemrom, Scientist-C / Deputy Director, BIS – Chennai Branch Office, presented an overview of BIS and e-BIS services designed to ease stakeholder access to standards and related resources. She elaborated on the key provisions of the Standard, providing a structured explanation of suggested checklists and simple monitoring measures for schools and catering partners to integrate into daily operations.
An Open House session addressed stakeholder queries on implementation—covering minimum infrastructure and utensil requirements, personal hygiene and training of food handlers, cleaning and sanitation schedules, safe food transport and holding practices, documentation, and periodic internal checks. The event witnessed active participation from more than 50 stakeholders, including school administrators, representatives from implementing agencies and caterers, SHGs/NGOs engaged in school meal programmes, food business operators, and local bodies. The deliberations reinforced the importance of adopting standard-based hygiene practices, both to protect students’ wellbeing and to build public confidence in school meal services.