The Eastern Regional Education Directorate has banned sale of sugar-sweetened beverages and fizzy drinks in schools.
The decision follows staggering revelation of health consequences among school children.
Speaking to Starr FM at the sidelines of a joint Press conference by the Eastern Regional Education and Health Directorates on Wednesday in Koforidua on nutritional challenges among school children, Eric Sakyi, Regional Head of Inspectorate at GES said, fruit days have been instituted in various schools to encourage parents to provide fruits to their children to supplement their diets.
Meanwhile, the Eastern Regional Health and Education directorates with support from UNICEF have initiated Nutrition-friendly School initiative (NFSI) in 130 selected basic schools in 26 municipalities and districts to promote healthy eating habits among the students through the support.
Eastern Regional Health Director Dr. Winfred Ofosu, explained during the joint press conference that, there has been decline in malnutrition among children under 5 years over the years, however, there is significant increase in malnutrition among school children and adolescents.
Despite a steady decline in most malnutrition indicators at the national level, Ghana is confronted with the triple burden of malnutrition, overweight/obesity, and micronutrient deficiencies particularly among school children and adolescents.
He said “Poor dietary practices, including intake of high sugar, high fat diets, sweets, and other foods of poor nutritional value, adding, skipping of meals and physical inactivity both at school and in the home are major contributory factors to the current increasing trends of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs)”.
The program is structured by the Family Health Division of the Ghana Health Service in collaboration with UNICEF and Ghana Education Service (GES) to deliver simple health and nutrition interventions to school children.
The existing minimum packages for the initiative include access to healthy and Nutritious Foods which ensures that caterers who provide school meals develop and cook meals from a menu chart developed in line with the four-star (4****) diet.
“The menu chart should be available in the school for reference. School authorities should ensure caterers mount food on well covered tables and food is covered to prevent flies and dust from settling on it; provide clean environment for eating with adequate hand washing facilities”.Dr.Winfred said
The intervention ensure that school authorities encourage parents to avoid putting fizzy drinks and sugary foods/snacks into their children’s lunch boxes. Schools should promote healthy eating, including consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables and iron-rich food through nutrition education. They are to institute also fruit and vegetable days (1-3 times a week) to encourage the consumption of fruits and vegetables by students. Schools are to institute protein day once every week to promote the consumption of variety of protein by students.
The existing minimum packages for the initiative include access to healthy and Nutritious Foods which ensures that caterers who provide school meals develop and cook meals from a menu chart developed in line with the four-star (4****) diet.
“The menu chart should be available in the school for reference. School authorities should ensure caterers mount food on well covered tables and food is covered to prevent flies and dust from settling on it; provide clean environment for eating with adequate hand washing facilities”.Dr.Winfred said
The intervention ensure that school authorities encourage parents to avoid putting fizzy drinks and sugary foods/snacks into their children’s lunch boxes. Schools should promote healthy eating, including consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables and iron-rich food through nutrition education. They are to institute also fruit and vegetable days (1-3 times a week) to encourage the consumption of fruits and vegetables by students. Schools are to institute protein day once every week to promote the consumption of variety of protein by students.
