RIYADH, 20 November — School canteens in the Kingdom are going to be made to supply milk and other healthy food items according to the new regulations issued by the Education Ministry.
The school health department, a subsidiary of the ministry, has issued the amended health regulations with the aim of improving the health of students, said Saleh Al-Ansari, director of the department.
Modifications to the earlier regulations, which were originally issued five years ago, have been made after joint studies conducted by the department, Saudi Arabian Standards Organization, the general administration for nutrition in the Health Ministry and the nutrition department of the agriculture faculty at King Saud University, he added.
The new regulations stipulated the supply of plain and flavored milk and a broader range of fruit juice in school canteens. Fruit content in the drinks should not be lower than 30 percent. Food and drinks preserved in glass bottles, sweets, chewing gum and junk food of low nutritional value are also being outlawed.
In addition, there will be a continuation of the ban on the sale of carbonated drinks in schools.
The official said that his department will send inspectors to all school canteens to guarantee that the new regulations are implemented and that the canteens are run more generally in a satisfactory manner, the official added.
Fizzy drinks such as Pepsi Cola and Coca-Cola were banned in the Kingdom’s schools several years ago because of concerns about their harmful health effects.
