Activists Advocate for Proper Enforcement of National School Nutrition Policy to Combat Lifestyle Diseases

Health activists on Monday urged authorities to properly enforce the National School Nutrition Policy in a bid to combat the growing prevalence of lifestyle diseases linked to sodas and snacks.

They made the call during a World Health Day silent demonstration at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Cave Hill Campus by members of the Heart & Stroke Foundation and UWI’s Medical Students Association (MSA).

Michron Robinson, Youth Health Advocacy Officer with the Heart & Stroke Foundation and the Childhood Obesity Prevention Coalition, told Barbados TODAY that education officials needed to do a better job of enforcing the policy.

“We believe that we should see the enforcement of the National School Nutrition Policy that was implemented in March of last year, and we are also calling on the government and our policymakers – it is not too late to implement the front-of-package warning labels.

“We have had a lot of support from the current administration regarding health policy, but we just want to call on the Ministry of Education to know that it is not too late to continue with the monitoring and the enforcement of the National School Nutrition Policy, and it’s not too late to enforce that front-of-package warning labelling system,” Robinson said.

She was responding to recent revelations that the policy, which was introduced a year ago, was being undermined, with vendors operating on the outskirts of school campuses, as well as highly sugary drinks being smuggled into schools. This disclosure came from Hedda Phillips-Boyce, chair of the Barbados School Nutrition Policy Implementation Committee at a National Nutrition Centre conference late last month.

Robinson stressed that for the policy to meet its target, it was important for current and future policymakers to get on board.

“At the University of the West Indies, there are a lot of students who are future policymakers, future Members of Parliament, future legislative advocates and so forth, so we really want to get these students on board,” she said.

Phyllis Anne Murrell, retired Chief Public Health Nurse representing the Barbados Masters and Seniors Athletic Club, also expressed similar sentiments: “I am here this morning to make sure that all of our population – the young, the old, all ages – participate in this movement that we have started. We deserve better, and we would want to make sure that the Ministry of Education is on board. I know that the National Nutrition Policy was implemented but it is not really up and running.”

Chad Forde, the president of the Medical Students Association, said the student body fully supported the policy, given the rise in health challenges being seen in the population.

“We saw a need for advocacy, we saw a need for awareness to bring about some change to let persons know that they too should be on board with this movement,” he said. “I think it is important because we have seen an increase in NCDs, and the push towards bringing about awareness [will] help bring about a decrease in NCDs. I think it’s important for the MSA and the Heart & Stroke Foundation to work together.”

shamarblunt@barbadostoday.bb