Non-lending Technical Assistance to Assam: Improving Nutrition and Development Outcomes in Early Years (ID: P168656) Report on ‘Eat Right Mela’ :– Knowledge Sharing Activity in Barpeta District Output submitted to the World Bank by The Coalition for Food and Nutrition Security This material has been funded thanks to the contributions of (1) UK Aid from the UK government, and (2) the European Commission (EC) through the South Asia Food and Nutrition Security Initiative (SAFANSI), which is administered by the World Bank. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the EC or UK government’s official policies or the policies of the World Bank and its Board of Executive Directors. The World Bank supported Government of Assam to organise an ‘Eat Right Mela’, the first of its kind in any districts of India, at Barpeta, one of the seven Aspirational Districts of Assam, on 14th of June, 2019. The objective of mela was to sensitize people of Barpeta regarding safe and healthy eating habits and to engage and enable them to improve their health and well beings. The preparation for the mela started with the press conference being organized in district HQ on 12th of June, 2019 which was attended by 20 personnel from print and mass media to send the word around “Eat Right Mela” to public and ensure larger participation. Press conference was followed by training of street food vendors on food safety on 13th June, 2019 in which a total of 70 street food vendors were trained by FSSAI trainers. The trainers were identified by the Food Inspector, food Safety Unit, Health Department, Barpeta. The Eat Right Mela started on 14th June, 2019 with the cycle rally in the morning followed by yoga session. The cycle rally was attended by more than 150 cyclists and yoga session was attended by more than 100 people. Through cycle rally the key messages of eating right and eating healthy were communicated to larger masses in Barpeta. Signature campaign inaugurated by DC, Barpeta followed by other participants was one of the other highlights of the event. The mela saw the activities like ‘nukkad natak’( street plays) to mobilize people and sensitize them on key issues like anaemia, menstrual health and consumer rights. Poster competition was also organized for the school children around eat right messages. Health camps were organized for basic health check-ups and counselling. To sensitize the people and build awareness on safe food and healthy diets numerous activities from pop up quiz to exhibitions to infotainment programs like audio visual 1 and local youth band giving the messages on eat right in local languages formed part of the mela. Around 2000 people turned up for the events. The Eat Right Mela provided opportunity to reach to large number of people ranging from government officials of concerned departments, school going students, women, other family members, civil society organizations with key message of safe and healthy eating. The women who turned up for health check-ups were sensitized of all health issues like anaemia, consumption of IFA tablets, ANC check-ups, etc. The stalls by Social Welfare Department, Agriculture Department and Assam State Rural Livelihood Mission sensitized people of all the government schemes and benefits linked to nutrition. It was decided that Food Inspector will monitor the street food vendors on regular basis to ensure they are following the food safety norms discussed in the trainings and district administration will organise a refresher course with support from FSSAI at no cost. Conclusion 1. Monitoring street food vendors and carrying out quality checks through the food safety unit of the district: In this process, it can be checked whether they are utilizing the knowledge gained through the training as well as adhering to the safe and healthy food preparation. 2. Refresher Training for Street Food Vendors after 6 months: The refresher training can be carried out with the help of FSSAI without any cost. 2 SOP developed for conducting Eat Right Mela Standard Operating Procedure: Eat Right Mela What is Eat Right India Movement? The Eat Right India Movement, led by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) was launched on 16 October 2018 on World Food Day as an effort to address the triple burden of malnutrition (under nutrition, micronutrient deficiencies and over nutrition) in India. It centres around three key themes: Eat safe, eat healthy and eat fortified foods. The movement targets both the demand and supply side that is to citizens and food businesses. On the supply side, the movement is focused on nudging businesses to promote healthier food options, reduce the amount of salt, sugar and fat, especially trans-fat in their products, reformulate their products to healthy ones and adopt good retail practices. On the demand-side, this movement is focused on engaging, exiting and enabling people to make the right food choices. Why Eat Right Mela should organize: Eat Right Mela is envisioned as a massive outreach to citizens to build awareness on safe food and healthy diets through an interactive and informative model. It will be an effort to address the triple burden of malnutrition (under nutrition, micronutrient deficiencies and over nutrition) in India. This is aimed at promoting key messages around following three key themes in an infotainment model. Three key themes: 1. Eat safe 2. Eat healthy 3. Eat fortified foods It would reach out to both the demand and supply side that is to citizens and food businesses. On the supply side, the movement would reach out to business people to draw their attention to: 1. Promote healthier food options, 2. Reduce the amount of salt, sugar and fat, especially trans-fat in their products, reformulate their products to healthy ones and adopt good retail practices. 3. On the demand-side, the focus would be on engaging, exiting and enabling people to make the right food choices. Eat Right Mela is an innovative concept to engage and educate citizens through various activities like poster competitions, quiz, street plays, talks, panel discussions, workshops, performances, shows and film screenings. These are in lines with the National Mela. The district-level Eat Right Mela should be planned to nudge citizens to choose healthy and safe food. Tentative Key Activities time line based outcomes: Sl.No Key Activities Process Outcome Date 1 Finalisation of the date for the Meeting with the Deputy The date & Guest need to Eat Right Mela in the district Commissioner & sharing of the be finalised for the objective of organising the Eat Right meeting. 3 Mela in the district & identify a suitable date from the Deputy Commissioner for the event. 2 Identification of key Listing of the all the departments and List of participants and stakeholders and organisations CSOs working in the in the district experts need to be finalised. 3 Inter Sectoral Coordination All the departments including the CSOs All stakeholders need to meeting with all the all need to be invited and briefed about be agreed for the departments & listing of the the need of the mela in the district and proposed activities. activities to be conducted distribute their role and responsibility as per the planned activities. 4 Identification of suitable venue Different place should be explored A suitable venue should keeping on mind of the different be identified to organise aspects like meeting place, parking, the Mela toilet, drinking water,eletriccity etc. 5 Approval of plan from DC The detail plan need to be shared with Plan updated and the Deputy Commissioner for approval. approved 6 Issue of the letter to the line The letter sent to line departments departments and key from the DC indicating the venue and stakeholders on the date and date of the Mela consist of their plan of Eat Right Mela in the department wise role district by the DC 7 Experts contacted to join and Finalising the expert and facilitate the session getting their confirmation facilitate and coordinate their activities 8 Identification of suitable Explore the different vendors, collect vendors for providing different the quotations, negotiate the price and support like tent, electricity, finalise the entire plan as per the sound systems, food etc requirement. 9 Publicity of the Mela By engaging the District Information & More Number of people Public Relation department, Print & need to know about the electronics Media, leaflets, poster, date and venue and Banner, Making announcement, Eat activities planned Right Ratha and engaging the student bodies, Women federations,Eldely Citizen Groups and Resident Welfare Associations etc. 10 Invitations to all the Invitations to all the Departments and Departments and Guest Guest by personal visit 11 Distribution of role of each coordinator for management of each event 12 Stage Arrangement, Anchoring etc 13 Press meet All the representatives from different Media House need to be print and electronic media need to be sensitised and help to invited and briefed about the mela by publicity. the Deputy Commissioner and implementing agency. 4 14 Press Briefing All the representatives from different Media House needs to be print and electronic media need to be sensitised and help to invited and briefed what happened publicity for post during the mela by the Deputy activities . Commissioner and implementing agency. Suggested Activities for pre event Eat Right Mela It is suggested to carry out two activities prior to the main Eat Right Melato mobilise people and campaign for the main mela. This can be organised a week prior or 2-3 days’ prior to the main event. The table below shows the activity list. Activities relating to Pre event Eat Right Mela Name of the activity How to execute Key Stake Tentative holders Budget required (Rs.) Poster making competition on • Identify a high school Government Budget shared the theme of #EatRight in any • Talk to the school management High School and below high school with prize money or about the Eat right India movement Colleges gift. • Plan and organise the poster making competition • The results can be announced in the mela with the paintings as an exhibition and prize distribution with a certificate can the given to the student winners Quiz competition for students • Identify a high school Government Budget shared • Talk to the school management High School below about the Eat right India movement College • Organise a quiz competition with the students through a local quiz master. Proposed activities for Eat Right Mela (Main event) Name of the activity How to execute Key Stake Budget Holders required Exhibitions Health department Stalls budget Letters to the Deputy These are government department stalls (NHM), Social shared below Commissioner, Joint director to showcase the public health Welfare and PHED Health, District Social Welfare programmes in the state by the Officer and Executive Engineer Government including FSSAI. These can PHED by CFNS, CSDG include: POSHAN Abhiyaan and Anaemia Mukt Bharat, Ayushman Bharat Yojana, Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan. 5 ASRLM and PRI for Stalls budget Food Stalls Letters to the Deputy mobilisation of the shared below Commissioner, Mission Food Stalls can be setup by the Self Help SHG women Director ASRLM at state level, Groups (SHGs) focussing on the local food DPM ASRLM at district level, system and traditional cuisines. The stalls Chief Executive Officer Zila can be set up with the purpose to show Parishad Barpeta dist. the diversity of food groups available in the area and varied local recipes to promote safe eating and avoid processed and junk foods. ASRLM. The street Stalls budget Street play highlighting the issues of Letters to Mission Director play can be shared below Food safety: ASRLM at state level, DPM presented by any ASRLM at district level a street play to highlight the issues of Food SHG safety and Healthy eating in the household level and the implication of bad food choice. Stalls budget Health Check-up and Counselling Letters to Joint Director Health NHM, CSOs shared below camps: and CSOs working on Health Organise parallel health camps on anaemia check-up, BMI camps and free medical check-up. This will help in quick assessment of the health and nutritional status of the community. Budget shared Signature Campaign: All the dignitaries, guest and All the dignitaries, below the participants can sign or put guests and Signature campaigns to pledge for health hand prints to a common participants and safe food choices. consensus on the importance present in the of Eating Healthy and Eating mela. Right. The mode of collecting signature can be in a big blank canvas (flax) or Cloth. The same can be kept in a public place to reinforce the messages of Eat right. • Mobilising the street Stalls budget Awareness building session for the Municipal vendors to attend the shared below Street vendors and hawkers: Committee event Awareness creating session for the street • Allocating stalls for their vendors of Barpeta town on the business importance of clean handling of food, • Recognising a clean and hygiene and healthy street food choice. hygiene stall and appreciating the efforts and setting an example for other street vendors. 6 • Approval of the design and Budget shared Distribution of Merchandise: Implementing content to be printed in below Agency and and Printing handouts and leaflets with the the merchandise CSDG importance of Eat right messages in local • Find a merchandise (Assamese) languages and distributing it printing agency to the participants to take home. Printing • Place a bulk order to the caps and t shirts with messages on Eat agency right. The merchandise will also act as a • Distribute it in the event. token or memento of the event which will reinforce the key messages whenever someone use it. Budget shared Yoga Session: Pre distribution of Leaflets at All the dignitaries, below every door steps to make guests and A Yoga Session by a famous yoga Master aware of all house hold participants may be incorporated in the series of activities to attract young Mass and home member across the District. present in the makers (house wife) to disseminate mela. information on how to eliminate extra fat from body through simple Yogas. Budget shared Cycle Rally /Marathon Dissemination of information All the dignitaries, below through Media beforehand guests and Cycle Rally/Marathon may be one of the and prior information to students of Std 9 to best idea to encourage and involve school Department of Education to 12th of nearest and college students to make the EAT give instruction to educational school . Right Mela a Grand Success Institution is the best way to encourage students. Key stake holders for the event: Government officers Civil Society Academic Media Organisations institutions • Dept. of Health & Family Welfare Local NGOs Degree Colleges of the Both • Dept. of Social Welfare district electronic • Dept. of Food & Civil Supplies and print • Dept. of Agriculture Secondary and Higher media houses • Dept. of Education Secondary schools in • Dept of Sports & youth Affairs the district • Public Health Engineering Department • Assam State Rural Livelihood Mission • Panchayat & Rural Development • Transformation & Development Dept. • Nehru Yuva Kendra • National Social Service & NCC • FSSAI 7 Coverage for Eat Right Mela in vernacular media 8 9 10 Key highlights from the Mela 11 12 13 14 15