FDA commissioner Tukaram Mundhe tells child demanding vada pav stall at school to eat healthy food
A video of a schoolchild asking Maharashtra FDA commissioner Tukaram Mundhe to bring back a vada pav stall at school has gone viral, along with his reply.
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A video of a schoolchild and Tukaram Mundhe, commissioner of Maharashtra's Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is going viral on social media. In the video, the child is seen asking Mundhe directly to restart the vada pav stall at his school. Mundhe's reply to the child is now being discussed.
According to the video, the child approaches FDA commissioner Mundhe and asks him to bring back the vada pav stall that used to operate on the school premises. He says all the children in his school, including his friends, are making the same demand. He then asks, with great innocence, what the FDA commissioner would say to that.
Mundhe was not annoyed by the child's question. In the video he is seen explaining things to him gently, with a smile on his face. Encouraging the child, he says children should always eat nutritious and healthy food. Eating good, healthy food keeps both body and mind healthy and refreshed.
Mundhe also told the child that oily and high-fat foods may taste good but are very harmful to health. Cautioning him against vada pav and other junk food, he asked him to give preference to nutritious food.
The video was shared on Instagram by a user with the handle @indraneilmanaspure (Indraneil Anaspure). Within a few hours it had received more than one lakh views and thousands of likes. Social media users are widely praising Mundhe's simple, affectionate and sensible manner. The gentle way in which he explained things out of concern for children's health is being appreciated everywhere.
It may be recalled that some time ago, under Mundhe's guidance, the Maharashtra FDA brought in a strict rule on the health of schoolchildren. Under this rule, the sale, free distribution and advertisement of junk food, vada pav, samosas, deep-fried items, chips, cold drinks, soft drinks, chocolates and ice cream within 50 metres of the premises of all schools in the state is completely banned.
Directions have been issued for strict action, up to cancellation of licences, against canteen operators and shopkeepers who violate the rule.
