A dimension within Traditional School Nutrition
Focusing on healthy and local food options for children, including anganwadi and midday meals.
150 voices speak to this
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Overall Community Sentiment
AI-synthesised pieces woven from many community voices on this theme. They may contain errors or interpretation — they're a reflection of the stories, not a record of fact.

By incorporating local, traditional grains like ragi and millet into school lunch programs, communities can significantly improve children's health and well-being.

Our community advocates for the integration of traditional, locally sourced foods into public programs to nourish children and preserve cultural heritage for future generations.

By embracing our ancestral foods, language, and traditions, we can nourish our children and strengthen our community's identity and well-being.

To preserve our health and culture, we advocate for the inclusion of native, nutritious grains in public food programs.
In addition to the lentil dish (dialunda) served to the children of our Anganwadi during midday meals, they should also be provided with our forest-based products, such as seasonal leafy greens.
— Parsuram Sa · Sundargarh, Odisha
We should include grains without chemical fertilizers in our children's midday meals.
— Rupesh Maravi · Mandla, Madhya Pradesh
In the mid-day meal, our Anganwadi center should prepare and provide various items using kodo, ragi, and Guruji's food, so that children get their vitamins.
— Ulapi Sahu · Patnāgarh, Balangir, Odisha
It would be good to provide food like millet (ragi) and pulses to school children twice a week during their midday meal.
— SUSANTA PATTNAYAK
To provide more nutrition for the physical and mental development of children, ragi and mandua should be included in school midday meals.
— Sunil oraon · Ranchi, Jharkhand
It would be good to provide traditional food to children for their midday meal.
— SUSANTA PATTNAYAK · Gajapati, Odisha
Local forest produce such as Kendu, Chaar, Jamu Kali, and Mahul contain nutrients. To provide more nutrition for the physical and mental development of children, wild leafy greens and traditional foods should be included in school mid-day meals. During festivals, we do not include packaged food and items from markets/shops to offer to guests.
— DASHARATH SINGH · Sambalpur, Odisha
In the mid-day meal, children at mothers' and Anganwadi centers should be given various kinds of stir-fried greens, papaya curry, fruits, etc.
— Ulapi Sahu · Patnāgarh, Balangir, Odisha
Local forest produce like Kendu, Chaar, Jamukoli, and Mahul are rich in nutrients. Wild leafy greens and traditional foods should be included in school midday meals to provide more nutrition for the physical and mental development of children. During festivals, we do not provide packaged food and market/shop items to guests.
— Kumudini Chhanchan · Bhojpur, Sambalpur, Odisha
Local forest produce like Kendu, Char, Jamun berries, Mahula contain nutrients. To provide more nutrition for the physical and mental development of children, wild leafy greens and traditional foods from the forest should be included in school mid-day meals. During festivals, we do not include packaged food and items from markets/shops to offer to guests.
— Kumudini Chhanchan · Bhojpur, Sambalpur, Odisha
If ragi, millet, drumstick leaves, and jute leaves were included in the school midday meal, it would provide more nutritious food to children.
— Parsuram Sa · Sundargarh, Odisha
It would be good to serve local food to school children for midday meals.
— SUSANTA PATTNAYAK · Adaba, Gajapati, Odisha
It would be good to give school children ragi and millet-based food two days a week in their midday meals.
— SUSANTA PATTNAYAK · Mohana, Gajapati, Odisha
It would be good to provide traditional food to the children of our region in school midday meals.
— SUSANTA PATTNAYAK · Mohana, Gajapati, Odisha
It would be good to provide millet-based food to school children for lunch.
— SUSANTA PATTNAYAK · Adaba, Gajapati, Odisha
Local forest Kendu, Char, Jamu Kali, Mahul contain nutrients. To provide more nutrition for the physical and mental development of children, wild leafy greens and traditional foods should be included in school mid-day meals. During festivals, you do not include packaged food and food from the market/shop to offer to guests.
— Kumudini Chhanchan · Bhojpur, Sambalpur, Odisha
It would be better to provide local food to school children in midday meals.
— SUSANTA PATTNAYAK
It would be good to provide food to our children through mid-day meals at school.
— SUSANTA PATTNAYAK · Mohana, Gajapati, Odisha
Local forest produce such as Kendu, Char, Jamun berries, Sarala leaves, and Mahul contain nutrients. To provide more nutrition for the physical and mental development of children, traditional foods like millet porridge should be included in school mid-day meals. During festivals, do not include packaged food and food from markets/shops to offer to guests.
— DASHARATH SINGH · Jamunkira, Sambalpur, Odisha
Children's health will improve if they are given local food for their midday meal in our school.
— SUSANTA PATTNAYAK · Adaba, Gajapati, Odisha
It would be good to serve local food to the children of our school during lunchtime.
— SUSANTA PATTNAYAK · Adaba, Gajapati, Odisha
It would be good if forest products like Mahua, Chaar, and Kendu were included in the preparation of our children's Mid-Day Meal.
— Priti majhi
Local forest produce such as Kendu, Chaar, Jamu fruits, and Mahul contain nutrients essential for children's physical and mental development. Therefore, wild leafy greens and traditional foods should be included in school midday meals to provide more nutrition. You are not including packaged foods and items from markets/shops to offer to guests during festivals and celebrations.
— Kumudini Chhanchan · Bhojpur, Sambalpur, Odisha
It would be good to provide traditional food to school children in their mid-day meal.
— SUSANTA PATTNAYAK
Nutritious forest produce, such as millet, will be provided to children as part of their midday meals through the Public Distribution System.
— Padmini Bhoi
Now, not much food is available in the forest, but our community's traditional grains like Kodo Kutki khichdi, dalia, and Tur, Chana, and Masoor dals should be included in the PDS, and our children should also receive these in their midday meals.
— Rupesh Maravi · Mandla, Madhya Pradesh
Millet and horse gram should be included in the midday meal.
— Kachala Choudhary
Local forest products like Kendu, Char, Jamu Kali, and Mahul are rich in nutrients. To provide more nutrition for the physical and mental development of children, wild leafy greens and traditional foods should be included in school mid-day meals. During festivals, you do not include packaged food and items from the market/shop to offer to guests.
— Kumudini Chhanchan · Bhojpur, Sambalpur, Odisha
Include drumstick and spinach vegetable in the mid-day meal so that children's physical development will occur and they will get nutrition.
— Vinita Singh Yadav · Mukasim, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh
When they give food to these children, they should also provide some different items. They always give rice, dal, and egg curry or soybean curry. It would be good to mix in some leafy greens, dal, and our vegetables; it would be better to mix such beneficial items.
— Ulapi Sahu · Balangir, Odisha
If forest-based foods like Mahua, Chironji, and Kendu were prepared and given to our school children in their Mid-Day Meal, it would be beneficial.
— Priti majhi
Children prefer local food. Nutritious food should be included in the mid-day meal based on availability.
— Vijay kanesh · Alirajpur, Madhya Pradesh
It would be good to serve local food during lunch for school children.
— SUSANTA PATTNAYAK · Mohana, Gajapati, Odisha
It would be good to give traditional food to children in school. Midday meal.
— SUSANTA PATTNAYAK · Adaba, Gajapati, Odisha
I think Nija Pradhan, Raike, Kandamula, and generally for lunch for children, we are requesting the government to include Mandia, Kandamula, forest fruits, Kendu, Sadhe Ganga, Amla, and various other types of roots which are Loeraka and Napanga, and when given to children, children get protein, because these are not refined foods, therefore we are requesting the government to include them in the mid-day meal.
— RITARANI PRADHAN · Raikia, Kandhamal, Odisha
Including Mahula laddus made from Mahula found in our forests in school's midday meals can provide nutritious food to children.
— Anjana Khadia · Subdega, Sundargarh, Odisha
It would be good if foods like ragi, millet, and Sua are given to school children in the mid-day meal two days a week.
— SUSANTA PATTNAYAK
Local forest products like Kendu, Char, Jamu Kali, and Mahua contain nutrients. To provide more nutrition for the physical and mental development of children, wild leafy vegetables and traditional foods should be included in school mid-day meals. During festivals, you do not include packaged food and items from the market/shops to offer to guests.
— Kumudini Chhanchan · Bhojpur, Sambalpur, Odisha
Local forest Kendu, Char, Jamu Kali, Mahul are rich in nutrients. Wild leafy vegetables and traditional foods should be included in school mid-day meals to provide more nutrition for the physical and mental development of children. During festivals, you are not including packaged foods and items from markets/shops to offer to guests.
— Kumudini Chhanchan · Bhojpur, Sambalpur, Odisha
Providing traditional food to school children in their mid-day meal will keep them healthy.
— SUSANTA PATTNAYAK · Gajapati, Odisha