Eggs will be removed from mid-day meals served in government and aided schools in Kolkata after the West Bengal government announced that the International Society for Krishna Consciousness would provide cooked food under the scheme, The Telegraph reported on Wednesday.
Radharaman Das, the Kolkata spokesperson of the Hindu religious organisation, said that the meals would not contain eggs but would instead include ingredients such as paneer, rajma, soybeans, pulses and other vegetarian protein sources.
Under the existing arrangement in West Bengal, students are usually served eggs once a week, with rice, dal and potato curry on the remaining school days.
Egg is a wholesome, nutritious food with high nutrient density. It is a high value protein and provides other nutrients such as vitamins, essential amino acids and minerals that are crucial for growth and good health, the Union government’s department of animal husbandry, dairying and fisheries.
Some schools have also occasionally arranged chicken or fish through additional funds raised by teachers. Students who do not eat eggs or follow vegetarian diets could choose other food options.
However, the new arrangement will introduce a vegetarian menu.
“We have empanelled dietitians to curate our menus,” The Times of India quoted Das as saying. “We will ensure that whatever nutrients a child gets from eggs will be matched or exceeded by the superior…
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