Golding reiterates commitment of one meal a day for students
Published:Tuesday | April 22, 2025 | 12:10 AM
People’s National Party (PNP) President Mark Golding has again pledged to introduce one meal a day for all needy children in school if his party forms the next government.
Addressing supporters at Silent Hill in Clarendon last weekend, Golding said an administration led by him would even go further and provide breakfast and lunch for needy children as the economy improves.
“As I have been saying, our estimate is around 55 per cent, over half of the children, need that help,” he said.
According to Golding, the United Nations, in a recent study, has said more than 55 per cent of Jamaicans are suffering from moderate to severe food insecurity.
“What it means is that more than half of our people in Jamaica are not getting the right nutrition. They are not getting one meal a day, or if they are ‘getting a food’ every day it’s not the right nutritious food that they are eating,” Golding said, adding that the absence of a proper diet can lead to various lifestyle diseases.
Golding also lambasted the Government for allowing the health system in the country to deteriorate to the extent that ordinary Jamaicans have to face long delays and, in some instances, less than acceptable conditions when they get sick and have to go to a hospital.