Open letter to scientists at nin

1. Dear Scientists at National Institute of Nutrition,
We the undersigned, have held the National Institute of Nutrition in high regard for its
contributions to nutrition research and evidence-building, and have the used its work as part
our effort to secure right to food for all citizens of India. We are therefore dismayed at the
unscientific, biased and irresponsible response sent by the Institute through its Director to the
request from Government of Karnataka regarding assessment of nutritional value of food
supplied by Akshaya Patra Foundation (APF).
APF has been supplying food to 2,814 schools in Karnataka as part of the Mid-day meals
scheme (MDM) which, it needs to be emphasized, is a scheme fully funded by Government
of India and Government of Karnataka. The scheme aims at providing students studying in
the schools, a nutritious meal containing locally and culturally relevant food, which children
will find tasty enough to eat in adequate quantity. APF, on the other hand has refused to
provide eggs or use onion and garlic in the food supplied because it considers these foods as
‘tamasik’. Since onions and garlic are part of the traditional foods like sambhar in Karnataka,
and hence has been included as part of the menu prescribed by the State government, their
non-inclusion by APF was raised by the Karnataka State Food Commission and civil society
groups. Following this, the Government of Karnataka had asked National Institute of
Nutrition and Central Food Technical Research Institute for its technical inputs on nutritional
adequacy, bioavailability, diet diversity, taste and food safety and hygiene.
In their response, CFTRI has refused to comment on the nutritional quality, taste, diversity
and safety of food supplied by APF instead asking for sufficient time and resources to do a
proper assessment. NIN, on the other hand, to our utter shock and dismay, has made
sweeping statements praising APF, without carrying out any systematic scientifc study. No
empirical data was collected on the quantity and quality of ingredients used or amount
consumed and amount wasted by children to certify food supplied by APF as nutritionally
adequate. Instead, a paper menu submitted by APF, was considered evidence enough to
comment on an aspect of the scheme which have nutritional impact on lakhs of children!
Even more shockingly, without visiting a single school or speaking to children consuming the
food, NIN has taken the unwarranted liberty of commenting on the taste and safety of the
food even which fly in the face of observations by State Food Commission of monotony of
the food supplied by APF or media reports of children vomiting after consuming the food on
some occasions. The eagerness exhibited by NIN to offer opinions in this case, in absence of
any scientific field evaluation, raises serious questions regarding NIN's credibility and
independence.
In view of NIN's history and tradition of rigorous scientific research and considering that the
nutritional future of the lakhs of children studying in government schools and availing mid-
day meals has been undermined by the unscientific report submitted by NIN to Government
of Karnataka, we urge you to withdraw the report immediately pending a systematic field
evaluation of the food being supplied by APF.