The Education Ministry and individual school management need to start working more cohesively in ensuring students are not served junk food in canteens.

The Education Ministry and individual school management need to start working more cohesively.

This is mainly to ensure students are not served junk food in canteens.

With the new school term underway, there have been concerns raised that there are still schools where junk and unhealthy food, including sugary products are sold at recess and lunch.

Education Minister Rosy Akbar says it’s important to keep track of the type of food sold to students.

“The canteens are run by school managements and that is a source of income for them. The onus lies with the management that they give it out to a service provider – it’s important that the rules are clearly explained to the provider about why we need to maintain good nutrition in our schools. Like I said we will have to step up our monitoring on that.”

Health Minister, Dr Ifereimi Waqainabete says the initiative by the Education Ministry will help reduce NCDs in the long term.

“You know that habit becomes part and parcel of the growth of the child. So the ability to stop and cancel that habit from earlier on is something that is very important. We actually know that if somebody has NCDs in their 40s, 50s and 60s – the changes have happened ever since childhood. So it’s important we approach the whole person.”

The Minister says evidence and research have shown that Non-Communicable diseases begin from childhood and they will work closely with the Education Ministry to address this issue.