Follow DepEd orders on canteen menu: Pia - Malaya 07.08.2006

SEN. Pia Cayetano yesterday said the non-compliance by schools with the Department of Education (DepEd) directive regulating the sale of junk food and carbonated drinks in schools could be the reason for the declining health of young Filipinos.

Cayetano said former DepEd Secretaries Ricardo Gloria and Florencio Abad issued orders in 1996 and 2005, respectively, directing school administrators to regulate the sale of food and beverages within the school and discouraging the inclusion of carbonated, artificially-colored, sugar-based drinks and air-filled food like curls and chips from the menu.

The order went one step further by directing school canteens to sell fresh fruits or vegetables in juice form, root crops and cereals.

Cayetano said the Abad and Gloria orders should be strictly followed by private and public schools to promote healthy diet among its students and also, teachers. "The selling of street food near school campuses should also be strictly regulated," she said. – Dennis Gadil