MDM Implementation Guidelines Mid Day Meals Complete Guidelines Rc ESE 02

INSTRUCTIONS/ GUIDELINES ON MID DAY MEAL ISSUED BY COMMISSIONER, SCHOOL EDUCATION, 10.8.2019 Comprehensive Guidelines in implementation of Mid Day Meals in Andhra Pradesh Schools. MDM Implementation Guidelines, MDM Registers, Guidelines on Eggs, Dal and Etc. MDM Visit Guidelines. File No.ESE02-27021/115/2019-MDM -CSE  Rc.No. ESE02-27021/115/2019-MDM-CSE Dt.12/08/2019.

MDM Comprehensive Guidelines Mid Day Meals Complete Guidelines Rc ESE 02

Sub : School Education - Implementation of Mid-Day Meals Scheme in the State jNecessary instructions and guidelines issued - Regarding.
Read:

• 1. Proceedings Rc.No.124/MDM/2018, date:02-08-2018 of the CSE
• 2. Hon'ble Chief Minister review of School Edu.& IvIDM program dated 31.5.2019, 29.7.2019
• 3. Hon'ble Minister for Education review of Mid Day Meal program dated 22.6.2019
• 4. Dr.PV Ramesh IAS, Sp.Chief Secretary to Hon'ble CM review of School Educaiton & Mid Day Meal program datred 23.7.2019
• 5. Hon'ble Chief Minister review of School Edu.& MDM program dated 29.7.2019

All the Regional Joint Directors and the District Educational Officers in the State are aware that the Mid-Day Meal programme is a flagship programme aiming at enhancing enrolment, retention, attendance and simultaneously improving nutritional levels among children studying in Government, Local. Body and Government-aided primary and upper primary schools and the Centres run under Education Guarantee Scheme (EGS)/ (AlE) & NCLP schools. With an am to improve quality, hygiene in cooking and serving of Mid Day Meal, Government partners with NGOs and Charitable Trusts for setting up centralized kitchens. Government is committed to further improving nutrition value, quality and hygiene in cooking and delivery. In this context, they are informed that at the time of field visits/ inspection it is observed that there is a need to provide detailed guidelines on the following:

• 1. Kitchen Protocols to be f-maintained at Centralised Kitchens and School Based Kitchens
• 2. Hygienic conditions to be maintained at cooking and serving areas by the Cook-cum-Helpers.
• 3. Involvement of School Management and teachers under MDM.
• 4. Inspections and visits to be made by the field officers.
• 5. Checking the quality and quantity of food being served to the children
• 6. Procurement and utilization of eggs and other ingredients in preparation of MDM
• 7. Precautions to be taken in storage of raw materials and ingredients.
• 8. The payment of cooking cost/honorarium bills as per schedule.

Therefore, a comprehensive set of guidelines to be followed in implementation of the Mid Day Meal Scheme are provided herewith.

I. KITEHCN PROTOCALS:

A. CENTRALISSED KITCHENS

• 1. 1500 – 1750 square yard land is required for establishment of semi- automatic kitchen in the capacity of 20000- 30000 children.
• 2. The kitchen shall be centrally located in the cluster area i.e. within the radius of 20 KM and the travelling time shall be less than 1 hour.
• 3. The time between cooking and consumption shall always be less than
• 4 hours and the temperature of food at the time of serving shall be at or above 65oC.
• 4. The supply of cooked meal shall be in insulted stainless steel containers.
• 5. During and after cooking the human contact with food shall be almost zero to avoid infections.
• 6. Vegetable, fruits and perishable food commodities should be fresh and storing for longer time/duration should be avoided.
• 7. Arrangements for cleaning of containers, tables, working parts of machinery, etc. should be provided.
• 8. Personal hygiene, cleanliness and health checkups of cook cum helpers shall be done periodically.
• 9. There should be efficient drainage system and there should be adequate provisions for disposal of refuse. The disposal of waste shall not be in the surrounding of the Kitchen.
• 10. The Kitchen shall be located in a clean and open place and free from filthy surroundings and should maintain overall hygienic environment.
• 11. The premises should be clean, adequately lighted and ventilated and have sufficient free space for movement.
• 12. The RO water facility shall be provided and shall directly be supplied to the cooking boilers without human touch.
• 13. The details of the vehicles along with the Phone number of driver shall be kept available with the each Head Master and MEO.
• 14. Sufficient number of vehicles for transportation of cooked food shall be engaged. The route map shall be provided to the drivers.
• 15. Necessary feedback shall be obtained from the children and Teachers every month and make necessary changes in recopies/ curries according to local preferences shall be made without minimising nutritional values.
• 16. At least one responsible person shall be available to the DEO and all other field level functionaries throughout the year for all kinds of correspondences/ communications.

B. SCHOOL KITCHENS:

• 1. The Kitchen cum Store should be located in a clean and open place and free from filthy surroundings and should maintain overall hygienic environment.
• 2. The premises should be clean, adequately lighted and ventilated and have sufficient free space for movement.
• 3. Floors, ceilings and walls must be maintained in a sound condition. They should be smooth and easy to clean with no flaking paint or plaster.
• 4. The floor and skirted walls should be washed as per requirement with an effective disinfectant. The premises should be kept free from all insects.
• 5. No spraying should be done during the cooking of Mid Day Meal, but instead fly swats/ flaps should be used to kill flies getting into the premises. Windows, doors and other openings should be fitted with net or screen, as appropriate to make the premise insect free.
• 6. Continuous supply of potable water should be ensured in the premises. In case of intermittent water supply, adequate storage arrangement for water used in food or washing should be made.
• 7. All utensils should be kept clean, washed, dried and stored at the Kitchen cum store to ensure freedom from growth of mold/ fungi and infestation.
• 8. All utensils should be placed well away from the walls to allow proper inspection.
• 9. There should be efficient drainage system and adequate provisions for disposal of refuse.
• 10. Potential sources of contamination like rubbish, waste water, toilet facilities, open drains and stray animals should be kept away from kitchen.
• 11. Kitchen should be separate from classrooms, preferably located at a safe, but accessible distance.
• 12. As far as possible, the layout of the Mid day Meal kitchen should be such that food preparation/processes are not amenable to cross- contamination from washing vegetables/cereals/Pulses/ etc).
• 13. Floors should be sloped appropriately to facilitate drainage and the drainage should flow in a direction opposite to the direction of food preparation. Adequate control measures should be in place to prevent insects and rodents from entering the processing area from drains.
• 14. Ventilation systems natural and /or mechanical including air filters, exhaust fans, wherever required, should be designed and constructed so that air does not flow from contaminated areas to clean areas.
• 15. A display board mentioning do's & don'ts for the CCHs should be put up inside at a prominent place in the premise in local language for everyone's understanding.
• 16. Water storage tanks, if available, should be cleaned periodically and records of the same should be maintained. Non potable water can be used provided it is intended only for cleaning of equipment not coming in contact with food.

C. FOOD SAFETY MEASURES:

1. During preparation
i. The cereals and pulses should be manually cleaned before cooking to remove any extraneous matter.
ii. Vegetables and Leafy vegetables when added to any preparation should be thoroughly washed before cutting and should not be subjected to washing after cutting.
iii. For chopping vegetables a clean chopping board should be used.

2. During cooking
i. Cooking must be done with the lid on to avoid loss of nutrients and contamination.
ii. The containers should be checked daily for its cleanliness.
iii. Vegetarian and non-vegetarian items should be segregated. iv. Fridge wherever available should be cleaned at least once a week to remove stains, ice particles and food particles.

3. Hand-Washing for Children: Hand wash with soap before and after eating should be vigorously promoted. Hand washing of the children shall be supervised and monitored vigorously. The schools may define an area for hand washing where very simple scalable and cost effective multiple hand washing facilities can be installed to be used by large groups of children at a time Tasting of the mid-day meals by teacher: The tasting of the food provided by the Centralized Kitchen or cooked in school premises, by a teacher just before serving is mandatory. The teacher is to maintain a record of tasting in a register. SMC member or a parent should also taste the food on a rotation basis along with the teachers before it is distributed to the children.

5. Drainage and Waste Disposal: Adequate drainage, waste disposal systems and facilities should be provided and they should be designed and constructed in such manner so that the risk of contaminating food or the potable water supply is eliminated. Waste storage should be located in such manner that it does not contaminate the food process, storage areas, the environment inside and outside the kitchen and waste should be kept in covered containers and removed at regular intervals. Periodic disposal of the refuse/ waste should be made compulsory.
6. Food serving area: The serving area in the schools, this should be spacious enough, well ventilated and with windows having wire mesh. The room should be cleaned every day before the school starts functioning. Meals shall not be served on the mantle surfaces and dusty floors. The students shall be guided by the teachers on every hygienic aspect.

D. PERSONAL HYGIENE OF COOK CUM HELPERS (CCH):

• 1. Cooks cum Helpers should maintain a high degree of personal hygiene and cleanliness. Bi-annual health checks up should be undertaken to ensure fitness for the job of CCH.
• 2. All food handlers should remain clean, wear washed clothes and keep their finger nails trimmed, clean and wash their hands with soap/ detergent and water before commencing work and every time after touching, raw or contaminated food or using toilet. All Cook cum helpers should avoid wearing loose items that might fall into food and also avoid touching or scratching their face, head or hair.
• 3. It should be ensured that all CCHs are trained in food hygiene and food safety aspects along with personal hygiene requirements. Training programmes should be regularly reviewed and updated wherever necessary. 
• 4. Chewing, smoking, spitting and nose blowing shall be prohibited within the premises especially while handling food.
• 5. The CCHs should have adequate and suitable clean protective clothing, head covering. Hair should be tied up neatly and ensured that the CCHs at work wear clean protective clothes and head covering.

E. STORAGE OF RAW MATERIAL

• 1. The supplied food grains like rice should not be stored for more than a quarter; they may be stored in airtight bins or stacked neatly in gunny bags or bins and stored in area free of rodents and insects. Food grain should not be stored directly on the ground; a wooden plank should be used for stacking of food grains.
• 2. In respect of storage of other raw materials, it should be stored in bags, should be away from the walls (about one feet) to avoid absorption of moisture; the height of the wooden plank may be at least 8 to 12 cms above the floor.
• 3. Ingredients like double fortified salt, condiments, oils, pulses etc. should be stored in airtight containers.
• 4. All containers should be of materials that do not impart toxicity to food.
• These containers should be cleaned at regular intervals and thoroughly dried before use. It should be ensured that ingredients used for cooking such as food grains, pulses, vegetables, cooking oil and condiments, are free from adulteration, contaminants, pest and infestation.
• 5. All stored raw materials and ingredients must be kept under dry and cool and ventilated conditions that will prevent spoilage, protect against contamination by pathogenic microorganisms, insects, rodents, foreign bodies, chemicals and damage.
• 6. Storage of fuels, disinfectants, detergents, cleaning agents should be strictly away from the stored raw materials and under lock and key.

F. VISITS AND INSPECTIONS:

The District Educational Officers, Assistant Directors (MDM), Deputy Educational Officers, MEOs shall inspect schools and examine the following issues:

• 1. The facilities in the kitchen, the weekly menu and food weight norms of MDM.
• 2. Maintenance of warehouse/storehouse.
• 3. Maintenance of attendance and stock registers entries.
• 4. Mode of Cooking and usage of LPG to be properly secured through a piping system.
• 5. The buffer stock of food grins lying with those schools.
• 6. Conditions being maintained in kitchen, food safety measures.
• 7. Quality of ingredients/ vegetables being used.
• 8. Quality and quantity of meals being served to the children. Necessary feedback from the teachers and students shall be obtained.
• 9. Time of supply of meals by the Centralised Kitchens and time of serving of meals
• 10. In addition to the regular scheduled inspections the field officers MEO/ Deputy Educational Officer has to make surprise visits to the school, automatically generated by Computer on regular intervals.
• 11. The field officers shall submit the inspection report in the prescribed format/ checklist soon after visit/ inspection.
• 12. The Checklist or Questionnaire to be followed during visits by the field officers is appended to these guidelines.

The Number of inspections/ visits shall be done by the filed officers in a month is as follows:

G. SCHOOL MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE (SMC)

• 1. The School Management Committee mandated under Right to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 shall also monitor implementation of the Mid-day meal Scheme.
• 2. The SMC shall oversee quality of meals provided to the children, cleanliness of the place of cooking and maintenance of hygiene in implementation of mid day meal scheme.
• 3. Monthly meeting with SMC members shall be conducted for necessary suggestion on overall development of the school.
• 4. Parent-Teacher Association meeting shall be utilised for involvement of civil society in improving the monitoring of MDM and ensuring that the problems are detected early and speedily rectified.

5. Gram Panchayats and School Management Committees/Village Education Committees may be approached for involving community members in regular visits, on a rotation basis, to help the school management in ensuring efficient quality cooking, serving and cleaning operations.

1. EGGS

• i. At the time of receipt of eggs the HM/ teacher has to check that the shell is not cracked or slimy. Sliminess or cracks can indicate the presence of bacteria.
• ii. The date of supply shall be noted in the presence of the supplier.
• The HM shall be present at the time of receipt of eggs and certify the quality and quantity of eggs with colour code.
• iii. The Supplier shall be asked to carry an appliance to measure the weight of eggs at the time of delivery.
• iv. The eggs, found spoiled after delivery, shall be kept aside and got replaced within the week without fail. The spoiled/ cracked/ underweight eggs are get replaced with quality eggs on the spot.
• v. The eggs shall be served to the children within the week from the date of supply of eggs. No spoiled egg shall be cooked and served to the children.
• vi. The eggs shall be cleaned first and stored in well ventilated place at room temperature or in fridge. The eggs shall not be preserved in closed (air tight) almarah’s or vessels or near stove or cooking area.
• vii. Any differences with the supplier shall immediately be reported to the higher authorities and get the problem solved.
• viii. The SMC’s meetings shall regularly be held and they shall take interest for the implementation of MDM and supply of eggs.

2. DAL AND OIL:

• i. The Head Master shall ensure that adequate/ prescribed quantity of Dal and Oil are utilised in preparation of meals every day.
• ii. In case of Supply by the external Agencies:
• a. The Oil or Red Gram Dal supplied under this contract shall conform to the standards, as specified in the Technical Specifications at the time of allotment of work.
• b. The supply of Dal shall be in 5/10/25 Kg air tight moisture free bags/packs and the Oil shall be in one litre packets only. The bags/ packets shall be prone to damage or spillage or spoilage and can be preserved safely.
• c. The supply shall be made based on monthly indent. The supply more than one month’s requirement shall be rejected.
• d. The date of packing & expiry and month of supply shall legibly be printed on the packet/ bag.
• e. The date of delivery at school point shall necessarily be before 90 days from the date of expiry.
• f. The school reserves the right to refuse the total Dal/ Oil or a part of it on the ground that the Dal/ Oil is not up to the quality or spoiled.
• g. The Supplying Agency shall obtain the requirement from the school/ cluster by 20th of preceding month and supply the Dal by 1st of the month.
• h. Particulars of the supplier/ Firm/Agency with contract number shall be made available with the HM of schools for all communications.

iii. In case of procurement by Cooking Agencies:

• a. Only packed Dals, salt, spices, condiments and oil with AGMARK quality symbol should be purchased. Any ingredient being sold loose should never be bought. The packaging and expiry date of the ingredients should be checked.
• b. Only “double fortified salt” should be used for cooking mid day meals. Food grains should be stored in standard bins while, plastic food grade containers are ideal for storage of Dals, spices, condiments and other ingredients.

3. VEGETABLES & OTHER ITEMS FOR COOKING

• a. Vegetable and perishable food commodities should be procured fresh and storing for longer time/duration should be avoided.
• b. Perishable items should not be stored in plastic bags as these get spoilt quickly due to lack of transpiration. Such items have to be stored away from sunlight, in a cool place.
• c. Storage of raw materials, ingredients should be subject to FEFO (First Expire First Out) or FIFO (First in, First Out) stock rotation system as applicable. Containers made of non-toxic materials should be provided for storage of raw materials. 
• d. All raw materials should be physically checked & thoroughly cleaned. Raw materials should be purchased in quantities that correspond to storage/ preservation capacity. Packaged raw material must be checked for 'expiry date'/ 'best before'/'use by' date, packaging integrity and storage conditions.

M. MDM RECORDS TO BE MAINTAINED:

• 1. Records of daily preparation, utilization of raw material used
• 2. School Enrolment, daily attendance and meals taken
• 3. Records of receipt of raw material/ eggs supplied from supplier.
• 4. Donations received from the donors and its utilisation.
• 5. Taste Register, in which the parent and teacher tastes meals and enters their views.
• 6. Register of SMC meeting and its resolutions. Action taken on the resolutions shall also be updated from time to time.
• 7. Observations of the inspecting authority and action taken on observations.

Download the MDM Comprehensive Guidelines File