by Linda Straker
- Sale of carbonated beverages at schools to be banned from 1 January 2020
- Student health assessments show almost 20% surveyed were obese or overweight
- Parents and vendors on school compounds must comply with new policy
Education Minister Emmalin Pierre has announced that as of 1 January 2020, government will be banning the sale of carbonated beverages and sweet snacks on the compounds of all public and private schools in Grenada.
Sharing details of health assessments among students which were conducted between 2010 and 2016, Pierre who was the time contributing to the 2020 budget debate said that almost 20% of the students surveyed were obese or overweight.
“Between 2010 and 2016 study shows 17% of the secondary school population between 12 to 16 years are overweight and obese while 2% to 6% of children 0 months to 5 years are overweight and obese,” she told the House.
“Mr Speaker, I don’t need to explain further. In addition to obesity and all of the other chronic illnesses that our children are coming down with why we need to take some very strong action in 2020, and so from 1 January 2020 we will move to fully implement Grenada’s school nutrition policy,” she said. “We will move to ban the sale of certain products in schools including sodas and sweet snacks that our children are abusing,” Pierre announced as members expressed approval by knocking tables.
Parents will also be prohibited from placing the banned snacks and drinks in lunch bags.
As part of the nutrition policy, vendors on school compounds will have to comply with the new policy as a permit will now be issued to them to ensure that they are aware of the requirements. “That permit will basically be saying that you have agreed within the policy of the nutrition of our students,” the Education Minister told the house.
The nutrition policy will also bring changes to the school feeding programme. More than 7,000 children receive a hot meal daily through that programme which costs the government EC$3.1 million.
Pierre said that the school feeding programme had a thorough assessment and it was decided that changes will be made to ensure that students receive nutritious meals. There are schools that sometimes serve the children processed foods that have been scientifically classified as unhealthy.
“We will not change overnight, but I am very optimistic that we will get there,” Pierre said.
This all sounds great but i live i Petite Martinique and not only have we not heard of anything through the teachers who should help enforce this new policy, the snack shops are still there selling the same snacks,,,,!
This is a great policy… but as i see itright now that is all it is.. a policy unpon piece of paper…. who will enforce it? Who will make sure this policy is followed? Sure the parents should… but wont.. bad habbits are hard to break!
Thank God!!!
This is Great News! A move in the right direction.
Especially when diabetes and heart disease are part of our family history, the more high sugar foods and drinks our children intake they become more high risk for these diseases at a much younger age especially when they are less physically active than when we were growing up.
This is a promising step in creating healthier family history within our communities. Now hopefully the next step is to also educate adults on how to make better food choices for their family and how to make healthy lifestyle changes.
Looking forward to hearing about a Health and Wellness movement to improvement the wellbeing of our people within our tri-island state.
Stop selling north american influenced garbage to Grenadian children. It only kills you faster than they are. We have enough natural niceness to sell. Help the venders in the market make a living. Tourists come to see Grenada. Give them Grenada no western multimillion production line garbage. Stay natural support Grenadian made natural sweets and drinks. Mauby Sorrell soursop juice guauva. Etc etc etc. Foreigners are Dr diluting these things and making millions. Don’t be the victims they get rich from. When you have these natural healing fruits in the yard. Please stay away from the crap you see western society getting vulgarly obese and unhealthy consuming these different forms of processed foods and beverages. Please keep Grenada natural , anything western will only kill . Please don’t spoil paradise for the sake of tourist money. !!! Sincerely yours. A disssppointed Grenadian ,abroad. I’m seeing it all. It’s not worth it you have all that’s needed right there leave western fashion alone !!!!
Excellent initiative.
Don’t let Grenada get the same obesity problem which other islands have, especially Barbados.
THANKS BE TO GOD ALMIGHTY I DRANK ALL YHE COKE AND FANTA MY BELLY COULD AND EAT ATE TONS OF COCONUT DROPS, CHIP CHIP, TART, CURRENT ROLLS, TURN OVERS, SHIRLEY BISCUITS, FUDGE AND A SMORGASBORD OF SWEETS IN MY SCHOOL DAYS AND I AM FINE. BAN THE IMPORTING OF SODAS…
Bad idea some students can only afford sweets which will get them through the day…think about the less fortunate…sweets help them get through the day without food
I know the bulk of soda imported, are revenue based. However, is it wise to drink your life away to make money? It should be banned holistically, ban the importation. It may not be a favourable and smooth decision to make but it will be necessary to protect lives.
Good move