Artificial Intelligence is taking over several spheres to ease human efforts, but this advanced technology can now ensure a better food quality and nutrition level! According to news18, Todsa Ashram School of Etapalli, Maharashtra, has reportedly installed an AI-based machine to improve the nutrition level of the tribal students in Gadchiroli.

The device helps to capture the picture of students with their plates of food. Immediately, without any human intervention, the model identifies the food quality and the nutrition level. The technology is significant mainly in the case of mid-day meals provided by government schools that are often criticised for poor quality.

According to the reports, the initiative was put forward by Shubham Gupta, Assistant Collector of Etapalli, under the project called Bhamragad. As per the reports, there are eight government schools involved in it.

“Under Project Bhamragad, there are eight government schools. When I came to this all-girls Ashram School, I used to feel that they lacked nutrition. When we had a preliminary BMI analysis, we found that 61 girls out of the 222 were malnutrition. Meals are provided here thrice a day- breakfast, lunch and dinner. The food quality is up to the mark, and we also follow the menu. So, we wanted to ascertain the cause,” said Shubham Gupta and the Project Director of the Integrated Tribal Development Project, told ANI about the device.

He added that the administration connected with an NGO that worked with a startup. He also stated, “We deployed here this machine designed by them. This is an Artificial Intelligence-based machine. Through this machine, we have tried to implement improvement in not only the quantity but also the quality of food. Headmaster and I can access data collected here. We have installed it in one of the 8 Ashram Schools so far. The results are very positive. We installed it in September 2022. Food quality has improved since then, and children’s BMI has also improved.”

According to the UNICEF India report, almost 40% of tribal children under five are malnourished, while 16% are severely stunted. When compared to the children from economically advanced sections, these tribal children have higher levels of undernutrition because of the absence of resources and money to afford nutritious meals.

As per the benefits of highly advanced technologies like AI in determining the nutrition level, it also helps to analyse a person’s genetic building, lifestyle, and health data to provide further personalised nutrition recommendations.