IN MY LAST COLUMN, I discussed the Food-based Dietary Guidelines (FBDGs) for Barbados launched by the National Nutrition Unit and the fact that some progress, albeit limited, seems to have been made in promoting healthy eating.
From the point of view of the youth, this has been achieved through television programmes aired by the Government Information Service and slight changes made in the purchasing patterns of the School Meals Department.
However, as with many other issues, education and encouragement are not always enough. A definite policy and regulations supporting that policy are necessary to achieve real progress. Recommendations have been made by the Nutrition Unit on a food policy for schools.
For example, age-appropriate nutrient-based standards should be used as the basis for the provision of foods in all schools; the Government’s school inspection process should ensure that all food service providers
in schools are compliant with the nutrient-based standards.
The Ministry of Education should establish specifications for school canteen tenders in line with the nutrient-based standards; Government should establish a meal pricing policy, which includes subsidies on certain food items, since meal selection depends on price as well as preference.
Those responsible for food procurement should develop links with local food suppliers and set targets for sustainable amounts of locally sourced food that
will be included in school meals; School Meals Centres and school canteens should have adequate facilities to enable catering staff to provide foods that meet the nutrient-based standards.
The Ministry of Education should establish posts for registered dietitians to plan, coordinate and monitor all nutrition-related programmes and activities within schools.
Monitor standards
Every school should adopt and implement a school policy on nutritious foods, which covers both the teaching of nutrition and the provision of food within the school; the foods and beverages offered or sold in schools should include only those which make a positive contribution to the nutrient needs of children; food service providers should monitor the standards of foods served in schools, including monitoring plate waste and this should be included in all contracts.
But have these recommendations been accepted by the Ministry of Education?
If not, why not, and if so, are the systems being monitored to ensure that they are in line with the policies?
We in Barbados are good at legislation and regulation, but poor at policing these.
While emphasis on schools is important, we need a policy for food establishments, like fast food outlets in particular, since these are so popular and it is fairly certain that they are here to stay.
The best answer, in my opinion, is to bring them in line with the requirements of the dietary guidelines.
An article in the Guardian newspaper in Britain stated: “Using legislation to regulate how and what we eat is a process larded with equal amounts of virtue and delusion. The motives are obviously good, but it rarely works. Simply telling people to stop eating takeaways was never going to be the solution; quietly intervening in the composition of the food they are eating – reducing levels of salt and fat, downsizing the portions – has to be the way forward.”
I certainly agree. Although cooking at home makes more sense, fast food outlets create jobs which are good for the economy, and fast food seems to have become a part of our culture, so let’s try to improve the food they offer. Let’s ensure that they purchase more fresh, nutritious local foods, let’s monitor and control the level of salt and fats in their offerings.
We should also be monitoring and regulating the salt, sugar and fat contents of processed foods, local and imported. This might help in reducing our food import bill and encourage local manufacturers to develop low fat, low salt and low sugar products. There have been spurts of enthusiasm in this area, but they do not seem to be sustained.
Another approach which could be used is to ensure that patrons of fast food outlets, which of course tend to have set meals, know what the nutritive value of each meal is, so that they can make more informed choices.
While in Canada, I picked up leaflets from fast food outlets. One was entitled Nutrition And Allergy Guide and the other, Nutrition Guide – A Balanced Lifestyle, includes staying active and making healthy eating choices. They detailed a nutritional breakdown of each meal served. Of course, there should also be a wider variety of vegetarian dishes offered. All these measures should redound to the benefit of the outlets, the patrons, local farmers and the health of the nation in general.
• The Agrodoc has over 40 years’ experience in agriculture in Barbados, operating at different levels of the sector. Send any questions or comments to: The Agrodoc, C/o Nation Publishing Co. Ltd, Fontabelle, St Michael.