Mid-Day Meal Scheme is followed in all the states of India for the past many years. In this scheme, lunch is provided on working days to the children in government primary and upper primary schools and in government-aided Anganwadis. The objective is to provide adequate nutrition to the children along with education. In the State of Karnataka, children were asked to choose between egg and other alternatives i.e. banana and chikki, as their preference in mid-day meal. About 80% of the children picked egg. This was reported in many leading newspapers during January 2023.

This clip of news reminded me of one incident. About a few years back, one of my acquaintances (a qualified nurse from a reputed institution) said that she bought eggs for her four years old son. But the elders of the house strongly opposed providing eggs to the growing child as the household elders follow a strict vegetarian diet. However, young couples sometimes have non-vegetarian meals outside their house premises. I recalled another incident, when one of my friends, herself a scientist, shared that the elders in her family were not letting her give health drinks such as Horlicks to her son. The reason was the elders feared that the child may become overweight. The child was actually slim, without any sign of being overweight. In both cases, the mothers were qualified enough to understand their child’s nutritional needs.

The overall health and mental development of the growing child is more important than anything else. Food preferences, their availability and food quality is changing, may be at slower pace. The household elders are wise and experienced, there is no second thought about it. However, sometimes it is also important to let the mother decide the nutritional requirements of her child. May the mother choose, as the government of Karnataka let the children choose their meal preferences.

(Views are personal)