The Nutrition Fiasco in the Education System

In July 2011, the Knesset’s Education Committee discussed the supervision of food products sold in schools. The committee decided to adopt a proposal presented by the Consumer Council, and held that schools and local authorities should monitor the foods sold within schools.

The question of foods sold in the schools was the subject of a directive issued in 2006 by the Director-General of the Ministry of Education. The directive stated that, within educational institutions it is forbidden to sell, whether from vending machines or over the counter, sweets and snacks that are high in fat, salt or sugar; sweetened, fizzy drinks; fried or high-fat foods (chips, salty snacks); pastries; processed foods (e.g. hot dogs) and foods with a high sugar content (candies). These instructions were consistent with the recommendations of the World Health Organization.

During the meeting, the CEO of the Consumer Council, Adv. Ehud Peleg, presented the findings of a survey carried out by the Council’s Active Consumer Teams, which indicated that the Director-General’s directive is not being implemented or enforced. Adv. Peleg also referred to earlier reports by the State Comptroller, dating from 2008 and 2010, which sharply criticize the non-implementation and lack of enforcement of the directive. Adv. Peleg repeated his suggestion that the Committee call on the Ministry of Education to require school principals to report on foods sold within the schools and whether they meet the requirements of the Director-General’s directive, and to call on local authorities to cancel the business licenses of cafeterias that do not adhere to the relevant rules set out in the Director-General’s circular. The Chairman of the Education Committee adopted the proposal submitted by Adv. Peleg.