Health Ministry to target healthy lifestyle for children

Shamdeo persaud

Georgetown : The Ministry of Health will this year work with the Ministries of Education and Culture, Youth and Sport and other stakeholders to address unhealthy eating, and physical in-activity in children.

According to a release from the Government Information Agency, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Shamdeo Persaud said, “In terms of nutrition, we are working on several standards of course; the food safety area … whether the food is wholesome, with bacterial contamination, but also to look at nutrition requirements so food that are labelled with fats and heavy in salts, high in sugar -we really want to reduce those and increase in everyone’s diet foods that are high in fibre so its low on those three things, but high in fiber,” he said

Dr. Persaud said that outside of ensuring that the food sources that service the canteens of the country’s schools supply healthy meals, the ministry will also be seeking to tackle reduction of alcoholic beverages to children at school activities.

“People offer kids drinks, we want to reduce that, work with the Ministry of Education to not have alcohol served at school functions,” he said.

He noted that the ministry has already moved towards addressing alcoholism as a whole, pointing out that it has started some provision of counselling and treatment to people who are addicted to alcohol, and to raise general public awareness.

The Health Ministry will be collaborating with other ministries, faith based organisations and Non Governmental Organisations to have students engaged in more physical activities as well.