MDM nutritional requirements
Components
Calories
Protein
Micro-nutrients
Primary (Class
I to V)
450
12 gms
Adequate quantities
of micro-nutrients
like iron, folic acid
and vitamin A
Upper Primary
(Class VI to VIII)
700
20 gms
Cooked meals in the MDM must meet specific nutritional requirements.
portion of a boiled egg can provide 50% and 30% of the
specified protein quantity in a midday meal for the children
of primary and upper primary classes, respectively.
MDM — A key opportunity to accelerate egg
production
Although, over 996 million eggs will be consumed
in midday meals during 2009-10, there is still a vast
opportunity for future growth. At present, only nine states
and union territories have included eggs in the MDM
covering only 19% students. Moreover, barring Tamil Nadu,
other egg serving states & union territories provide only
0. 5-2 eggs per week per child. Tamil Nadu provides the
maximum number of eggs i.e. three eggs weekly per child.
Hence, there is opportunity for growth in the consumption
of eggs as part of the MDM.
The success of the MDM in Tamil Nadu is illustrated by
the increase in the school participation and completion
rates. Considering the nutritional advantages of eggs and
looking at the positive results of supplying three eggs per
week per child in Tamil Nadu, if another eight states and
union territories also increased the frequency of supplying
eggs in midday meals to three per week per child, there
would be additional demand for more than 1 billion eggs
annually.
Furthermore, inclusion of some more states and union
territories in this list would accelerate the demand that
would result in huge expansion of the layer population in
the country. ◻
❯ Dr Mrigen Dutta is senior product manager – poultry,
with Zydus Animal Health.
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