SNF@School Inter School Safe and Nutritious Food Festival in collaboration with FSSAI was organised on 8 December 2018 with an aim to encourage all attendees to partake in eating right and eating safe, encourage food safety and spread awareness about food related lifestyle disorders. A total of 19 schools participated in a wide range of activities on the theme, “Eat Right, India”. The event was sponsored by PolyMaxx , Macmillan Education, Travel Quest and McVitie’s.
Padmasri Dr. K. K. Agrawal, President, Heart Care Foundation of India and Ms. Namrata Khanna, Project Lead, SNF@School graced the event with their august presence.
The event was coordinated by Ms. Niva Chhonkar, Head of the Biology Department, Ms. Jyoti Sharma, Health and Wellness coordinator along with the Biology Department and the Health and I club.
Representatives from, Max HealthCare, Apollo Hospitals and International Federation of Yoga professionals set up stalls to teach basic life support, encourage dental hygiene and promote Yoga and Naturopathy respectively.
Riveting dialogue characterised Hop Into Healthy Habits (Street Play), in which adroit actors put up demonstrations pertaining to ill effects of an unhealthy diet, and compelled the viewers to reflect upon their own eating habits. The event was judged by Dr. Renu Kumar, a Nutritionist at VLCC and Mr. Rajesh Tewari, a renowned Play Director and Theatre activist.
Nutritious Can Be Delicious (Fireless Cooking) saw enterprising chefs scramble to assemble their dishes and put up cutting edge delicacies accompanied by a beverage on the side. Mr. Akil Qureshi , Chef at Odeon Social, Connaught Place and Ms. Aditi Mehrotra, Dietician at Arney Fit Kids, sampled the platters put up by the competitors.
Dr. Seema Puri, Associate Professor, Institute of Home Economics, addressed the participants in the OAT. She emphasised on the importance of eating a healthy breakfast and encouraged the students to partake in ‘mindful eating.’
Clad in starched, white lab coats with test tubes in hand, budding scientists made use of a variety of chemicals in their endeavour to check for adulteration in ‘Show You Care, Be Aware’ (Food Adulteration Test). Dr. Jyotsana Singh, Scientist, Food Safety Lab, FSSAI and Dr. Nandita Narayanasamy, Biochemistry Associate professor, Sri Venkateswara College judged the event.
Participants were quizzed on the multiple facets of health and nutrition in ‘Eat Right, Be Bright’ (Health Quiz). The quiz was conducted in three rounds – the preliminary round followed by the two final rounds wherein the intellect of the four qualified teams was put to test.
The Poster Making Competition on the topics ‘Healthy Food’ and ‘My Lunch Box’ brought the spotlight on the prolific fifth graders of S.D.M.C. Primary Co-ed School, Sector 5. Their faces lit up with smiles as they later visited different venues where the events were held.
The offsite events, Photography – ‘Street Food’; Poster Making – ‘Say “No” to Tobacco’ and Collage Making –‘My Healthy Lunchbox’ provided the talented contestants with a platform to showcase their artistic finesse.
The Valedictory Ceremony commenced with a lively Indo – Western song on the importance of healthy eating which was followed by the felicitation of the Chief Guests by Principal.
The Principal, Ms. Vanita Sehgal began by extending a warm welcome to the Guests. She expressed her appreciation for the innovation displayed by all participants. Further, she recounted her visit to the Food Adulteration event wherein she remarked that buying unbranded food, sold in loose packets is bound to have an ill- effect on one’s health. Illustrating how important it is for an individual to work hard to improve one’s own health, she narrated an anecdote of how a student had once walked into her office with an excessively heavy bag, carrying books which were not required. She concluded by commending the efficient organisation of the event by the Biology Department and reminded the students that it didn’t matter if they win, as experience counted much more in life.
The Yoga performance that followed elicited a huge round of applause from the audience. The winners of Hop Into Healthy Habits (Street Play) put up a presentation which gave way to the Chief Guests’ speech.
Ms. Namrata Khanna spoke about how the choice to maintain a healthy lifestyle rests entirely with oneself. She briefed the audience about The Eat Right Movement and the SNF, initiatives of the Government and FSSAI to spread awareness about the importance of improving one’s diet. She ended by administering a pledge to encourage students to eat healthier and partake in exercise.
Dr. K. K. Agrawal mentioned that heart attacks, along with other lifestyle problems develop over a long period, and highlighted the immense importance of making an effort from an early age to combat these complications. He added that it is similarly important to consume a variety of foods in moderation, as well as to consume “fast food” – food that can be prepared quickly.
The event marked the launch of the Biology magazine ‘Biology Matters.’ The Award Ceremony which followed prompted cheers from students who had been waiting with bated breath for the results.
The Vice Principal, Ms. Anita Singh, administered the ‘Eat Right’ pledge, heralding the end of the Valedictory Function.
The event concluded with the National Anthem.
The results of the events are as follows:
| Event | Position | School |
| Street Play | 1st 2nd 3rd |
D.P.S, Vasant Kunj D.P.S, Mathura Road Hope Hall Foundation, R.K. Puram |
| Fireless Cooking | 1st 2nd 3rd |
Ahlcon Public School, Mayur Vihar D.P.S, Faridabad D.P.S, Vasant Kunj |
| Food Adulteration Test | 1st 2nd 3rd |
Rukmini Devi Public School, Pitampura D.P.S, Rohini Venkateshwar International School, Dwarka |
| Health Quiz | 1st 2nd 3rd |
D.P.S, Rohini Venkateshwar International School, Dwarka D.P.S, Indirapuram |
| Photography | 1st 2nd 3rd |
Rukmini Devi Public School, Pitampura D.P.S, Vasant Kunj D.P.S, Faridabad |
| Poster Making | 1st 2nd 3rd |
Rukmini Devi Public School, Pitampura Venkateshwar International School, Dwarka; Salwan Girls Sr. Sc. School, Old Rajinder Nagar Ahlcon Public School, Mayur Vihar |
| Collage Making | 1st 2nd 3rd |
Delhi Public School, Faridabad Rukmini Devi Public School, Pitampura; Poorna Prajna School Vasant Kunj Venkateshwar International School Dwarka; D.P.S, Vasant Kunj; Sanskriti School, Chanakya Puri |
The Overall Winners trophy was bagged by Rukmini Devi Public School, Pitampura
