"Empowering Healthy Future: Yoga Session by Eat Right School campaign in Association with FSSAI at The Village International School"

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has embarked on a comprehensive series of initiatives aimed at reshaping India's food safety and nutrition landscape. These initiatives are designed to ensure the availability and consumption of safe food and healthy diets among the country's citizens. One of the pivotal programs under this initiative is the "Eat Right School" program. This program has a primary objective of fostering awareness about food safety, nutrition, and hygiene among school children, with the broader aim of extending this awareness to the community at large. Recognizing the influential role that children play in societal change, the FSSAI believes that delivering messages through them can catalyze behavioral change and promote a culture of safe and nutritious eating. Given that dietary habits are often formed early in life, the incorporation of food and nutrition into both the curriculum and extracurricular activities at the school level becomes indispensable. The significance of safe foods and healthy diets is particularly pronounced in light of India's substantial burden of foodborne diseases, under-nutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and the escalating incidence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular ailments. As a part of the "Eat Right India" campaign, a dedicated yoga session was conducted at The Village International School on September 18, 2023, in collaboration with Food Safety, Idukki. Dr. Ragendhu M, Food Safety Officer of the Thodupuzha circle, along with Unnikrishnan C V, led the session by providing instructions to the school's Physical Education Department. Furthermore, as a proactive participant in the campaign, the school registered itself for this initiative. Two teachers were nominated as Health and Wellness Ambassadors and received certification from FSSAI after successfully completing an online examination. To seamlessly integrate these initiatives into the curriculum, FSSAI has curated an extensive repository of content developed by domain experts, catering to both students and teacher training programs. The school has enthusiastically adopted these projects and is actively engaging in the activities outlined in the recommended books for schools, with the invaluable support of its Health and Wellness Ambassadors.