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Nutritional guidelines, standards essential
Healthy eating needs to be placed on the front burner. -
THE EDITOR: In a Sunday Newsday commentary, “TT’s unstated food policy” (March 28), Marina Salandy-Brown drew attention to several important matters including food security, strengthening the agricultural sector, the issue of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and the need for well-publicised national nutritional guidelines and standards.
My concern here is about the writer’s call for nutritional guidelines and standards which she discussed in the context of reducing foreign food imports, stimulating agricultural production, addressing the prevalence of NCDs, and having a healthier population. Interestingly, the approach recommended was a national one requiring the collaboration of several government ministries.
We need to act now to protect Caribbean children and young people
We, Caribbean Pediatricians supported by the Healthy Caribbean Coalition community, are deeply concerned about the health and wellness of our region’s children and young people.
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic the lives of our children and young people have been turned upside down; the way that they learn, socialize, play, eat, move and sleep has changed, and these changes are having a substantial impact on their physical and mental health. We believe that we are on the cusp of a regional childhood obesity and mental health emergency.