‘Make Unhealthy food obsolete’ – National Nutrition Officer

The National Nutrition Centre of the Ministry of Health and Wellness hosted a church service at St Philip-the-Less Anglican Church in Boscobelle, St. Peter on Sunday to commemorate the start of National Nutrition Month. 

Among those who addressed the congregation was Nutritional Officer Glencill Taylor. She stated, “Nutrition month is a time when local nutrition professionals across Barbados collectively embark on initiatives directed at creating awareness of the benefits of good nutrition practices.” Throughout the month of March, educational initiatives will be directed at making healthy eating the easier choice. She noted, “Emphasis will be placed on the home, school, work and healthcare environment.”

Fifty years ago, when the programme began, undernutrition was the focus. However, within current times, the focus has shifted to over-nutrition, which is characterised by an excess of poor quality food. Taylor believes a greater emphasis must be placed on growing and preparing what we eat and promoting the need for Barbadians to have kitchen and community gardens. She encouraged Barbadians to foster a community spirit in which able-bodied persons help those in need. “I urge you to make unhealthy foods obsolete by replacing them with healthy options. That is the way we create healthy food environments in Barbados and make the selection of healthier foods the easier choice,” she stressed.

President of Dietitians of Barbados Sade Haynes believes that tackling Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) can only be achieved through a collective effort from all the stakeholders. She said, “Poor diet and lifestyle choices contribute to the development of NCDs. In contrast, a healthy diet and lifestyle play a significant role in their prevention and management. However, many Barbadians do not meet the minimum diet and physical activity recommendations to lower our risks of developing NCDs.”  

Caribbean people have reduced their intake of ground provision and vegetables and replaced them with refined sugars and processed foods, creating a nutritionally unbalanced diet. Haynes assured, “Dietitians of Barbados supports programmes and initiatives to improve the diet and lifestyle of Barbadians and access to quality nutrition services through advocacy, capacity building and professional excellence.” 

Senior Medical Officer of Health Dr Arthur Phillips challenged Barbadians to embrace the theme Celebrating Healthy Food Environments in their pursuit of better health. In his address, he noted they would soon launch a faith-based tool kit that can help in planning and executing health-related activities. “These systems have been acknowledged as important partners in health promotion efforts and they are uniquely positioned to address healthy behaviours such as healthy eating and physical activity which are core components of our efforts to reduce the burdens of obesity and NCDs.”

Creating healthy food environments is significant in fostering better health outcomes, with the elimination of obesity being a constant focus. Though factors like gender, age and genetics and environmental factors contribute to its occurrence, Phillips stated, “What we do know is that appropriate physical activity and a healthy diet can modify the effect of genetics by 30 to 40 per cent.”

Phillips acknowledged that the perceived cost of healthy food and the availability of processed food are sources of concern. “Research points to the fact that making changes to the workplace food environment such as offering healthy meals in cafeterias and vending machines and providing staff wellness initiatives result in improved diet and health,” he noted.

Phillips added, “The school environment is an important setting for influencing the health of our population. Children spend more time in school than in any other environment other than their homes and certainly continued progress in addressing childhood obesity will require continued coordinated and collective efforts in this setting.” Phillips highlighted the link between success in health and success in education. “The Barbados School Nutrition Policy is designed as a comprehensive framework to advance the improvement of the school food environment.”

The Senior Medical Officer assured that the Ministry of Health and Wellness will continue to work to influence individual responsibility but also to influence the setting where time is most often spent. These initiatives include the taxation of sugar-sweetened beverages, front-of-package warning labels, and the framework to remove trans fats from the food supply.

Phillips concluded, “We are grateful for the continued involvement of government and non-governmental partners. There continues to be the need for further engagement of civil society, international funding and technical agencies, academia and even industry if we are to be successful in addressing the challenge of unhealthy food environments.” 

(STT)