NPL Providing More Nutritious Snacks for School Feeding Programme

Acting Agriculture and Fisheries Minister, Hon. Derrick Kellier, says Nutrition Products Limited (NPL) has expanded its provisions to the Government’s School Feeding Programme to include more nutritious, locally produced items.

He said that through support provided by the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), NPL has linked with banana and carrot suppliers to source raw material for the production of snacks such as muffins, cakes, and scones, to complement the traditional bullas and rock cakes.

In addition, since 2013, local liquid eggs have been incorporated into the preparation of these products, thereby replacing 33 per cent of imported margarine and vegetable oil, previously used.

Minister Kellier, who was addressing the recent launch of the Government’s Inter-Ministerial Integrated School Feeding Programme at the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), New Kingston, said that these initiatives by the NPL serve to advance the twin objectives of import substitution and the provision of more nutritious food for the nation’s children.

Mr. Kellier said the Ministry of Education-administered school feeding programme provides Jamaica with a platform for creating a “win-win” situation, “in which we can address the nutritional needs of our vulnerable school-age population.”

This, he said, by increasing the production and supply of fresh local fruits and vegetables by small farmers, “thus providing them, in turn, with a viable source of income.”

Mr. Kellier gave the Ministry’s undertaking to “do everything in our power” to support the Government’s Inter-Ministerial Integrated School Feeding Programme.

He cited a number of initiatives in this regard, to include: facilitating the necessary production parameters to satisfy demand; coordinating pre and post-production activities; providing technical assistance related to production and marketing-related initiatives; developing and supporting mechanisms for smallholder farmers to participate in school feeding public purchases, with special attention on youth and female involvement; pursuing a policy where the local contents of meals provided are consistent with the national food import replacements strategy; and strengthening and refining the School Gardening programme, to include strategic interventions such as the provision of technical support, and promotional and other materials.

The Inter-Ministerial Integrated School Feeding Programme, titled: ‘Strengthening of School Feeding Programmes in the Framework of Latin America and the Caribbean without Hunger 2025 Initiative’, aims to strengthen the Government’s existing school feeding programme.

This will be achieved by ensuring adequate nutritional provisions for students through increased access to affordable nutritious, safe, and quality foods in schools; and establishing and maintaining a comprehensive school feeding national policy, plan, and legislation.

It involves collaboration among the Ministries of Health; Agriculture and Fisheries; and Education, with support from the Government of Brazil, off whose programme the local initiative is being modeled, and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Over 300,000 students are expected to benefit under the project, which will be formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to be signed by the major stakeholders.