Advocates call for strong mechanisms for food nutrition policy roll-out
Published:Monday | April 21, 2025 | 12:16 AM
Although it has welcomed Cabinet’s approval of the long-awaited school nutrition policy, stakeholders are urging the Government to implement strong mechanisms for inclusive consultation, public education, and rigorous enforcement and monitoring.
“The approval from Cabinet is welcomed, but the real work starts now to sensitise and implement in a way which will lead to widespread institutionalisation. We must ensure this policy does more than sit on paper,” said Shanielle Allen, policy and advocacy coordinator at the Jamaica Youth Advocacy Network (JYAN) said.
“We now look forward to the tabling of the policy, as a white paper in Parliament, and urge that this be treated with urgency and purpose.”
The policy provides a national framework that encourages and facilitates healthy eating habits through nutritious and cost-effective meals in schools for students. It also restricts access to, and marketing of, unhealthy foods in and around the school environment.
More than 75 per cent of students receive one meal at school. The policy outlines the need for the provision of meals to meet nutrition standards, which involves the use of recipe manuals to create nutritious meals using local produce.
It will also stipulate that the amount of exercise that students up to Grade 13 get is increased. Further, students would get regular health checks and counselling, with schools providing adequate clean, safe, drinking water. The national school nutrition policy aims to have nutrition education and healthy lifestyles included in the current curriculum, and for teachers to be trained.
Senator Dr Dana Morris Dixon, the minister of education, in announcing its approval recently, stated that it “will change the way our children get their meals in schools and the entire apparatus around school nutrition”.
‘Progress in food policy’
Pointing to Jamaica’s high rate of obesity Dr Suzanne Soares-Wynter, a clinical nutritionist at the Caribbean Institute for Health Research, said Cabinet’s approval of the national school nutrition policy is a “demonstration of progress in our food policy landscape”.
“Too many children are at risk of obesity, non-communicable diseases, and or food insecurity. All across Jamaica, there is pervasive food industry marketing and the widespread exposure to unhealthy ultra-processed foods is causing harm, especially among our school-aged children. This SNP (school nutrition policy) offers the framework for schools to provide children with access to nutritious foods beneficial to their health and developmental needs,” she told The Gleaner.
Approximately nine per cent of Jamaican children under five years old are overweight – one of the highest levels in the region. Since 2010, obesity rates have doubled among adolescent boys. For girls, obesity has increased by almost 50 per cent in ages 13 to 17.
A recent United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition report revealed that more than half of Jamaicans experienced moderate to severe food insecurity.
The UN describes someone as food insecure when they lack regular access to enough safe and nutritious food for normal growth and development and an active and healthy life.
According to the report, 55.1 per cent of Jamaica’s population experienced moderate to severe food insecurity for the period 2021-2023, and 22.1 per cent of Jamaicans were unable to afford a healthy diet in 2022.
JYAN further called for a strong public education campaign to ensure all stakeholders – administrators, students, parents, vendors, and concessionaires – understand the policy, its benefits and how it will be rolled out.
“The health of our children cannot wait. We emphasise our call for speedy implementation and strong enforcement mechanisms to ensure that the policy’s goals are realised in full. We stand ready to assist in raising awareness, monitoring compliance and ensuring that the policy delivers real impact in the lives of our children,” the advocacy network said in a statement.