A health ministry circular strictly discards biscuits or "unhealthy" fast food during meetings. (FILE)

With the aim to move towards "healthy eating", the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has decided to serve food like dates, roasted chana, almond and walnuts instead of cookies and biscuits.

The Health Ministry issued a circulation on June 19 making it mandatory not to serve cookies, biscuits or any unhealthy fast food with immediate effect.

An official from the ministry told news agency ANI, "We are happy with the move. The minister is a Doctor who himself knows the ill-effects of eating fast food and hence ordered this step. We in the ministry are happy to accept the order."

The circular strictly discards biscuits or "unhealthy" fast food during official or any other meetings in every department of the ministry.

The circular said "healthy eating" will gradually come into effect with "Lobiya channa, Khajor, Bhuna Channa, Badam, Akhrot".