Sri Lanka, June 25 -- In a bid to combat childhood obesity and nutrition issues, the Ministry of Health introduced the 'Healthy School Canteen Guidelines' on Monday (June 22) coinciding with National Nutrition Month 2026. The new guidelines mandate sweeping bans across five key categories including deep-fried foods, processed meats, sugar-laden products, calorie-dense foods with low nutritional value and carbonated drinks. The guidelines in turn promote healthy, locally sourced natural snacks to allow children to develop healthy food habits and to protect them from the early onset of non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

Alarming statistics

The National Nutrition Month survey conducted by the Family Health Bureau in June 2025 revealed th...