Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera is exploring the possibility of banning the sale of artificial soft drinks and food items made with wheat flour at school canteens.
At present most schoolchildren are addicted to artificial soft drinks and sweetmeats prepared with wheat flour and are reported to be suffering from health problems.
Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture Gunadasa Amarasinghe told the Sunday Observer that natural fruit drinks and food items prepared with rice will be introduced to school canteens in the near future.
A committee has also been appointed by the Ministry of Agriculture along with top officials of the Education and Health Ministries to look into this matter further.
The program of providing natural fruit drinks and rice-made food items would be extended to canteens of other Government Ministries and Departments countrywide in the future, he added.