Jamaica secures children’s nutrition with new healthy school meal rules

Jamaica has taken steps to ensure children are healthy and ready to learn with the new National School Nutrition Policy, which will be implemented in all early childhood, primary, secondary, and special education schools. It limits the sale and marketing of sugary drinks and ultra-processed foods in schools and mandates nutrition education.

The cabinet-approved policy outlines what is necessary to promote healthy eating and active living in all Jamaican schools. The government says it will ensure students have safe and nutritious food access by strengthening the school-feeding program and fostering partnerships among schools, families, farmers, vendors, and communities to build a culture of wellness. 

“It is widely accepted that good nutrition practices in schools can improve cognitive and academic performance, depending on the type of food provided, the size of food rations, and the program duration,” says Senator Dr. Dana Morris Dixon.

The initiative requires collaboration between ministries, local governments, and NGOs.

Moral duty 

Dixon says that regular meals addressing nutritional deficiencies must be managed to improve children’s nutritional status. She adds this has been underlined in Jamaica’s 2016 National Operational Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Obesity in Children.

“It [the policy] is born of a recognition that our nation cannot advance while our children go to school hungry, are fed foods that compromise their growth and development, or are denied access to the nutrition necessary for learning,” she continues.

Minister of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Senator Dr. the Hon. Dana Morris Dixon (Image credit: Yhomo Hutchinson).“In my view, this policy reflects our moral duty, as well as a strategic imperative to provide every child, regardless of socio-economic background, with safe, affordable, and nutritious food in a school environment that fosters health and learning.”

Five-year collaborative plan

According to Dixon, the policy will be implemented gradually over five years.

The government notes that the policy was created in consultation with stakeholders, such as parents, students, teachers, school boards, health professionals, nutritionists, and psychologists. Private-sector food representatives, farmers, civil society organizations, advocacy groups, government agencies, and departments were also involved.

“While the ministry is the lead implementer for the policy, its success is contingent on the involvement of several stakeholders,” adds Dixon.

“In partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries/the Rural Agricultural Development Authority, we intend to re-establish and maintain existing school gardens and create new ones. The Jamaica 4-H Clubs will offer technical assistance and support.” The ministry runs the clubs that train youths to develop leaders with marketable skills.

Supporting long-term economic resilience 

Dixon explains that the National School Nutrition Policy was strategically created to complement the national human capital development agenda.

The government will launch an awareness campaign to inform the public about its role in making the nutrition policy a success.“As the Prime Minister recently outlined, more than 60% of our workforce lacks formal training, and this shortage of skilled labor threatens to constrain our long-term growth. To change this trajectory, we must start with the fundamentals — literacy, numeracy, and early childhood development — and ensure that every child enters the classroom ready to learn and thrive,” she explains.

“The National School Nutrition Policy directly supports this by tackling one of the most significant, yet often overlooked, barriers to learning: hunger and poor nutrition. By prioritizing nutrition, especially in the early grades, we are addressing the foundational gaps and setting our students on a stronger path from the very beginning. This is how we build a skilled, productive, and resilient workforce for the future,” she added.

Furthermore, to ensure public awareness of the policy, she says the ministry will launch a campaign focusing on the public’s role to make it a success. At community events, it promises to provide healthy meal planning resources, train canteen staff in nutritious food preparation, and involve students as nutrition ambassadors in their schools.

“We want every Jamaican to read this policy and see it as a contract between the government and our children. To this end, we will, therefore, publish it publicly and work with churches, youth groups, and the media to spread the message,” says Dixon.

Better school meals

Recently, Spain mandated that all schools serve five healthy meals weekly, regardless of income level, and barred junk food sales on campus.

The National School Nutrition Policy was strategically created to complement the national human capital development agenda and tackle childhood obesity.Mexico also banned school junk food to tackle the obesity crisis and instead promotes healthy alternatives, such as regional and seasonal plants without added sugar or salt.

At the same time, experts in Aotearoa, New Zealand, critiqued that local government-funded school lunches are falling short on nutrition and quality standards.

In its latest report, Aries Consult called for harmonizing economic and nutritional goals to transform school-based interventions into drivers of equitable development. Meanwhile, UNESCO urged healthier school meals focusing on fresh, local ingredients to combat childhood obesity.