Kathmandu, May 2 -- During a recent visit to the Humla district, Dr Aruna Uprety, a public health expert, observed schoolchildren being fed noodles as part of the mid-day meal. She asked the principal and teachers why junk food was given to children instead of locally available nutritious food.

"They told me that the school management committee had unanimously decided to provide noodles and biscuits as a part of mid-day meal," said Uprety. "I also talked to some parents about the practice, which I found awkward. However, they questioned me instead: 'How many times should their children eat locally made food at home and also in school?'"

This was a common refrain in hundreds of remote villages, where malnutrition is so severe as to be be...