Health ministry discusses plans for healthier school meals

By Admin. Updated 6:00 a.m., Thursday, August 18, 2022, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).

The Nutrition Unit within the Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment held a symposium to discuss plans for providing healthier meals to children at schools with feeding programs across the nation.

According to the Agency for Public Information – API, the promoting healthy eating among children symposium was held on Tuesday August 16th at the Sunset Shores Hotel.

The forum targeted stakeholders involved in preparing food for children at the Primary School and Early Childhood Centres.

Chief Nutritionist in the Ministry of Health, Nicole France said these kinds of sessions are critical because the nation’s children need to have a healthy and balanced diet so that they can have the capacity to learn.

“The future generation needs to be fed properly,” France said.

The Chief Nutritionist urged parents to start to introduce healthy meals to children at an early age as this can help to reduce the onset of chronic non-communicable diseases. France added that Cooks also play an important role because they are responsible for the kinds of food children eat on a daily basis while at school. 

Senior Education Officer for Primary schoolsJoycelyn Blake-Browne stressed that thenutritional needs in schools must be monitored and assessed since nutrition impacts how children attain information and function. Blake-Browne pointed out that there have been noticeable changes in the quality and presentation of meals in schools.

The final session ends on Thursday August 18th, 2022. The events are being funded by UNICEF in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment along with the Ministry of Education, the Agency for Public Information – API report further stated.