Agri. Minister urged to ban sale of bread products in school canteens

The Mawbima Lanka Foundation have called on the Minister of Agriculture, Wildlife and Forest Resources Conservation, Mahinda Amaraweera, to promote the use of rice flour, as opposed to the wide use of wheat flour.

It has been proposed that the selling of sugary drinks and wheat-flour based bakery products be banned in school canteens, and that organic fruit juices and rice-flour based products be sold instead.

It was also proposed that rice-flour based products be sold at canteens of government institutions as well.

Accordingly, it has been decided to appoint a committee comprising of officials from the health, education and agriculture ministries and representatives of the Mawbima Lanka Foundation to oversee the proceedings of this programme, along with the consultation of the Director General of Health Services.

The group of representatives of the Foundation, including Dr. K. M. Wasantha Bandara and Sumith Wanniarachchi, met with Amaraweera yesterday (04 Jan.), during which Secretary to the Ministry Gunadasa Samarasinghe and a group of officials were also present.